MBE FOR RITA
WALKING into Rita Lindsay’s cosy home in High Cottages, Strone, the first thing you notice is the unbelievable abundance of Christmas cards that deck every wall, table and basically free space in her living room - because this woman is not only well known locally for her warmth and generosity, but all over the world - hence the stacks of cards wishing her all the best.
But Rita is about to make even more friends, one in particular, when she visits Buckingham Palace in the coming months to collect an MBE - an accolade which she has picked up in recognition of her tireless charity work over the past 60 years.
Rita, whose full name is Margaret Cuthbertson Lindsay Lindsay, first found out that she had been nominated for the gong in November when she received a phone call from 10 Downing Street, asking her if she would be happy to continue with the proceedings, as they picked those who were to receive the MBE.
However, the first Rita knew for definite was last Wednesday when she received a phonecall from a well-wisher who had seen her name in the New Year Honours List.
Despite the fact that she is approaching her 90th birthday, Rita has no intention of giving up her charity work, and will be going to Tasmania in March for an Associated Country Women of the World (ACWW) conference.
She explained: “My work with the ACWW began in 1959, after I attended a conference in Edinburgh as a deputy steward. I had been asked to do this through my role as treasurer for the local Women’s Rural Institute.
“We were basically just helping out, doing all the dogsbody stuff, but I was asked if I wanted to go upstairs to the conference itself to be a steward - and I jumped at the chance!
“It was here I met people from all over the world and I thought ‘this is what I want to do, I want to join this as well’, and so I joined them.”
Rita added: “It’s about education and helping - particularly women and children in agricultural and rural areas - to teach them to learn to help themselves.”
Since joining the ACWW, Rita has travelled all over the world, and has visited far flung places such as Christchurch, New Zealand; South Africa, Austria, The Hague and the USA.
In 2001, she was presented with a special volunteer award in Ontario, Canada, for her work world wide with ACWW - one of only 41 members from the UK to do so, picked from more than nine million members around the globe.
Again, this award was sprung on the modest Mrs Lindsay, who didn’t know about it until the day before.
But that isn’t the only award that she has received in recognition of her charity work as all of the good work that Rita has carried out for the ACWW, is in addition to the staggering amount of money that she and her colleagues raised for Cancer Research - a sum of over £25,000.
Since 1982, she and friends have been raising money for cancer through coffee mornings, but going back to the late 1960’s, Rita became involved with Cancer Research when a local branch of the charity was set up in Dunoon and they asked the local WRI to send delegates.
Rita said: “My father died of cancer so obviously I felt very strongly about the cause and decided to go. We raised money through doing door to door collections, and continued to do so until 1981 when I had to go into hospital because I was desperately ill.”
However, she was soon back to full strength, and this is when the annual coffee mornings began, with the next scheduled for the end of February in Strone’s Highgate Hall.
The current President of the ACWW Hilda Stewart, put forward the official nomination for Rita. In it, she described Rita as a ‘tireless community worker with a compelling desire to help others locally, nationally and internationally.’
She added: “Despite the fact that she was widowed not long after she was married in World War II and had no children, she set about creating an alternative family within the Strone community and further afield.
“Despite being nearly 90, her enthusiasm for fundraising within the Strone community, not to mention the whole of Argyllshire and beyond, is stronger than ever.”
Supporting nominations from the local community were also extremely forthcoming.
The former Minister for Kilmun, Strone and Ardentinny, Evie Young, has known Rita for six years and wrote to the nominations committee, expressing her joy that Rita had finally been recognised for her hard work.
Evie, who moved to St Andrews at the beginning of November, said: “Shortly after I arrived on the shore, I heard of the sterling work being done in the community by Rita.
“Indeed, it was said to me by so many people at that time that she should receive an honour. It had been in the hearts and minds of the people of Strone for a long time and she really deserves to receive an MBE.”
She added: “Rita is an accomplished organiser but her greatest gift is her motivation and inspiration to others to be involved in charity and community activity - most notably her Scottish Women’s Rural Institute and Cancer research work.”
Another of the causes which Rita feels strongly about, and is continuing to pursue, is combating child blindness, caused by malnutrition.
She has even earned the name ‘Mrs Teacosy’, after crocheting 86 of them to raise over £1000 for the cause, and the ACWW are continuing to raise awareness of the plight in third world countries by letting people know that just one cupful of green vegetables given daily contains enough vitamin A to protect a child’s sight.
At the moment, Rita is awaiting details of her visit to London to collect the MBE, but has told how she will be accompanied by her two nephews, Alan Ramsay and Allan Lindsay and his wife Linda.
But despite all the publicity she will be receiving in the national press, Rita wants to make it clear that the MBE is not just for her, but all the people who have helped her to raise money over the years, as well as the people who donated money.
Summing up how she felt about the award, Rita stated: “It’s just starting to sink in! I have had so many phone calls from people wishing me well - but I keep saying that I wouldn’t have got it without the help of other people.
“I’m sure it will be lovely but it definitely won’t change me!”


BREAKWATER GETS GO AHEAD
FINALLY, planning permission for the breakwater at Dunoon Pier has been granted.
After a presentation to councillors at the Bute and Cowal Area Committee meeting in Bute on Tuesday, the plans were speedily put through without any objections.
The breakwater is due to be completed in November of this year and work is hopefully due to start in March if all goes according to plan.
The overall plans for the development also include the formation of a new roundabout, the relocation of the pier’s zebra crossing by 55 metres and the erection of new street lighting columns.
A large area of sea will be infilled to accommodate a 75 space car park (with an additional 10 disabled parking bays) to be built to the north of the breakwater towards the Rock Cafe.
This car park would also be used as a marshalling area if plans for the new linkspan are approved.
Argyll and Bute Council have sent the plans to the Scottish Executive as a formality but say they do not anticipate any problems.
The contract for the development will be put out to tender.
The severity of the situation at the pier emerged in August 2003, after a survey report revealed that one section was in ‘imminent danger of collapsing’ and had to be cordoned off.
The pier is also currently undergoing repair works on the piles - half of which were found to be ‘dangerous’ in May of this year.


“MOUNTAIN OUT OF A MOLEHILL”
MP Alan Reid has defended himself against allegations that he has been ‘interfering in the affairs of another MP’s constituency’.
Helensburgh and Lomond MP, John McFall, put in an official complaint about Mr Reid to the Speaker of the House of Commons, stating that he had been visiting members of the constituency without notifying Mr McFall first.
This, said Mr McFall, was an ‘infringement on the conventions and courtesies of the House’ set out in a procedure committee’s report, which states that members should notify each other when visiting people in another member’s constituency.
However, Mr Reid said that he has only once visited someone in Helensburgh, and in response to a damning letter by Chairman of Argyll and Bute Conservatives, John Geary, deeming Mr Reid’s behaviour as inappropriate, has stated that the ‘Tories are making a mountain out of a molehill’.
Mr Reid added: “These courtesies are not always observed these days. Other MPs, both Labour and Conservative, have visited Argyll and Bute since I became the MP, without telling me in advance that they were coming.
“This never bothered me and I think that the Tories are making a mountain out of a molehill.”
In the joint letter signed by Mr Geary and vice-chairman Martyn McIntyre, they aired the opinion that Mr Reid had been ‘caught out.’
It read: “It is true to say that Mr Reid has an interest in Helensburgh and Lomond, given the probability that it will form part of the constituency he will fight at the next general election.
“However, until then, it has nothing to do with him and so he should concern himself with the affairs of his own constituents and leave Helensburgh and Lomond affairs to its elected representative, Mr McFall.”


WHAT’S BIN GOING ON?
Residents living in the Cowal area have hit out at Argyll and Bute Council after rubbish was left uncollected over the festive period, due to a dispute between the Council and their workers over payment for public holidays.
Areas such as Ardentinny, Blairmore, Strone and Innellan were the worst affected areas, with some locals not having their rubbish collected for almost three weeks.
The problem started when the Council refused to pay their workers the normal terms and conditions for working overtime during three public holidays over Christmas and New Year. After negotiations with worker unions, GMB and UNISON, both parties still could not come to an agreement and the employees opted to take the time off that was owed to them.
It has been alleged that the Council negotiated a deal with the refuse collectors over ten years ago, which meant that the bin men had to work the three days over the festive period. However, there has been no documentation to prove that any such deal existed, and the council workers’ union went into talks with the council to give the workers an opportunity to claim the holidays or work it at the normal pay enhancements.
GMB spokesman, Mike Conroy spoke to the Observer about the situation: “The council had the opportunity to resolve the position between themselves and their workers a long time ago, and as a result the people of Argyll have suffered. The men have a democratic right to choose their public holidays and not work overtime if they are not receiving acceptable overtime pay. We had meetings with the council back in November and December and discussed the possibility of the men reverting back to a twelve day public holiday per year agreement, which council workers in other departments are entitled to. However, we are adamant that we won’t stop until this matter is settled with Argyll and Bute Council.”
William Bincham who lives in Ardentinny spoke of his disgust at the way the council have dealt with the matter, and has demanded that people should be compensated for the distress that this problem has caused. He said: “ I cannot believe the way Argyll and Bute Council have failed to put any precautions in place, fully knowing that their workers could take action at this busy time. I and many others who live in Blairmore right through to Ardentinny have not had any of our rubbish taken away over Christmas and New Year.
“This is usually the busiest time of the year when it comes to putting out rubbish, however at present there are bin bags all over the place which could cause a health hazard. I want to know what the council plan to do on the situation, and if they will be compensating residents in areas that are affected for the distress that this has caused.”
A council worker who does not wish to be named, said that the backlog of work caused by the disruption could take weeks to overcome. He said: “GMB and UNISON both wanted to negotiate holidays with the council, however management refused to go into talks with them. This could have avoided the problems that have happened over Christmas and New Year.”
Gordon Nash, Head of Amenity Services for Argyll and Bute Council issued a statement on behalf of the council: “As soon as it became clear that talks between the Council, union representatives and the local workforce would remain unresolved in time for the scheduled Christmas and New Year refuse collections, an advert was placed in the Dunoon Observer showing the amended days of collection.
“Unfortunately, vehicle breakdowns due to extreme weather and the late delivery of an extra hired vehicle, households in Kilmun, Blairmore, Strone, Ardentinny and Toward did not have a collection which had been scheduled for December 30 and 31. A collection took place on Monday, January 5 with these areas being prioritised. The last collection was on December 18. Talks with union representatives and the workforce are ongoing.”


GROUP FORMED TO SAVE CASTLE TOWARD
PEOPLE from all over the country have got together to form a group to save Outdoor Education Centre, Castle Toward from being sold off.
Castle Toward, which sees around 8,000 children pass through its doors each year, has been under threat since October, after Argyll and Bute Council proposed to put the facility on the market and sell it to the highest bidder.
After seven years of negotiations with Argyll and Bute Council, Actual Reality who run the centre have never been able to obtain a long term lease for the property, despite the Council allegedly promising them that they would put the centre on a solid footing. Forty-eight primary schools and eight secondary schools from Argyll and Bute have used the centre in the past two years, along with many other UK and international students.
David Kent who is the conductor of Lanarkshire Youth Orchestra is heading a group which calls itself the Friends of Castle Toward, with the main aim being to save the centre. Mr Kent said: “ I have been going to Castle Toward for more than forty years, and I can definitely say that there is a magic about the place. I have taken many of my bands to this centre, and the educational benefits of these trips have been profound.
“Many people are going on about how Scotland should invest in helping children become more active and lead healthier lifestyles, so to close a centre which provides so many outdoor activities and education for children is surely wrong. Hopefully the council can come to some agreement with Actual Reality in the future, whether it be selling the property to them or giving them a longer lease.”
Douglas Boyd, who is the associate conductor of London Sinfonia has also given his support to the group, and said that it would be a tragedy if the place was to be closed. Mr Boyd said: “My experiences of Castle Toward were fantastic. It was a wonderful environment in which to make music and socialise. To be that intense as a teenager, both socially and musically was something that you remember for the rest of your life. You don’t throw away your best asset, as it would be a crazy thing to do.”
Strachur Primary school send a class of their primary seven pupils to the centre each year for a residential weekend, which is aimed to help them integrate into secondary schools. Marian Norris who is the headmistress of Strachur Primary school said that the weekend always proved a success, and that she and her pupils would be extremely saddened if the facility was to be closed down.
Actual Reality issued a statement regarding Castle Toward: “Clearly we are unhappy about the activities of the Council. In October last year we received assurances from them that their intentions for Toward would not jeopardise the activities of Actual Reality and the educational facilities they provide for children throughout the country.
Argyll and Bute understand that if the facility at Toward is to be lost, they are required to find the means to meet their obligations to Actual Reality, its staff and its clients, including Glasgow and East Renfrewshire Councils. To date we have not received any realistic proposal from the Council for the rehousing of Toward’s facilities, and we now find that the promised funding of the necessary feasibility studies may not be made available to them. We feel that the best option would be for Argyll and Bute Council to meet its obligations and provide Actual Reality with a lease as originally intended.”
A spokesperson for Argyll and Bute Council commented on the situation at Castle Toward: “Following an expression of interest in Castle Toward last year, the Council’s Strategic Policy Committee took the decision on October 2, 2003 to look at ways of disposing of it. In taking this decision it was felt that as a responsible landlord it was the Council’s duty to put the property on the open market in order to make the most of this valuable asset.”