| Description | Side A HELEN ISABELLA MURCHISON nee McKenzie born 12.11.1933 Little Loch Broom, Wester Ross. Paternal family: crofting people. Details re names. Father was at sea on posh yachts. During war he worked on farm, later in forestry. Family moved to Achnashellach. Education: details re qualifying exam at 11. Left home for Dingwall Academy as a boarder at 12. Eldest of 5. Names of 4 brothers. Explains dying tradition of names in family, own names. Maternal family: crofting people, details of names, parents' meeting. Grandfather went to Karlgoolie gold rush in Australia, grandmother 30 years younger. He died from bronchitis after poaching. Details re family names. Explains Mac/Mc. Born at home in Little Loch Broom. Childhood memories of home, local environment. Went to village school. Compares upbringing with today. Ignorant of ways of the world. Recalls day war started, conception of Hitler. Few cars then. No shops. Details. Reference to Ullapool. Recalls occasional trips to Dingwall. Describes home, standard croft house design since 1926 grant to crofters. Isolated childhood life. No telephone. Recalls excitement when father came home. He was away for long periods. Describes parents, mother's lonely life, and her expectations. War changed everything. Always very poor. Comments on notion of 'poverty'. Punished at school for writing left-handed. Recalls influence of primary teacher. Reading at home regarded with suspicion. Explains. Had gramophone at home but family not musical. Travelling cinema came once a month. Recalls culture shock of boarding school. Details re hostel, discipline. Importance of education to parents, attitude in Scotland. Parents didn't have education. Recalls own sense of responsibility re education. Career opportunities for girls then.
Side B Comes from close family. Recalls accidental death of a brother, impact on family. Religion important in childhood, went to Sunday school, church. Wanted to go into nursing. Trained at Glasgow Royal Infirmary. Met husband in Glasgow, had eldest daughter there. Husband worked in shipyards but writing on the wall. Decided to bring up family in the north. Comments on life in Glasgow. Trained in nursing, midwifery. Recalls influence of hospital matron. Recalls discipline in childhood, punishment. Comments on attitudes now. Details re husband, meeting with him. He was born, brought up in present house which has been in family for generations. He is a carpenter, worked in Glasgow shipyards. Reasons for coming from Glasgow to Achintraid 1960. Has 2 daughters, grandchildren. Describes Achintraid pre-oil, lack of job opportunities etc. Neighbours were elderly. Husband was crofting, had sheep, cattle. Details re earnings from bed & breakfast. Milked cows twice a day in early days. Never in debt - strong Scottish tradition. Was Youth Hostel warden. Recalls Loch Carron in earlier times, life as a young mother. Mentions incomers who want to change everything. Describes husband. Recalls first hearing about North Sea oil/gas industry, structures needing deep water, rumours re Loch Kishorn. Company wanted to set up shop near Plockton - opposition of wealthy people, yachting fraternity there, public enquiry. Sir John Howard, of Howard Doris firm, promised tiny oil yard in Loch Kishorn. He slipped in under the door. Details re Howard Doris. It all happened quickly. Reaction of conservation people, protests of other outsiders. Explains advantages of Loch Kishorn. Public meetings held. Recalls gullibility of local people.
Side A Sir John Howard promised an 'island site', no effect on roads etc. Explains. Attention of locals distracted by enquiry re Plockton. Describes Howard. Local people were in favour of Kishorn development because of employment situation. Churches against project, particularly Sunday work. Explains own support. Local people had no conception of size of Ninian Central platform that was to be built. Ross & Cromarty Council supportive. First action - to build a road to construction site, the 'Burmah Road'. No impact from change of government 1974. London government didn't know Highlands existed. Explains likely Liberal Party leanings in family. Recalls noise from pile-driving when dry dock being built. Describes work routine. Workforce grew gradually. R J Mcleod, road builders, had their own labour force. Details re location of work camp, accommodation arrangements, growth in traffic. Lochcarron pubs made a lot of money. Adverse publicity in press not warranted. Explains. Recalls one of few kept promises made by Howard re wrongdoers. Details re construction. No check on who was there, eg non-workers lived on site. Was one of first people to work there, employed as nurse. Details re accommodation, staff, own qualifications. Huge domestic staff there, limited equipment early on. Eye problems most common. Reference to Albert Granville who was in charge. Explains pay, hourly rate, work roster. Most serious injuries were from road accidents. Chaos in first year. Workers came from all over world, many Irish. Reference to Charlie Fergus, Fergus & Haines. Concrete work labour-intensive. Recalls atmosphere in construction time, feelings about doing something important for the country. Daily routine in clinic.
Side B Recalls extraordinary scenario of 4,000 men, the camp, bussing of people back and forth, activity at railhead, quarry, at sea etc. Small impact on local businesses. Explains. Recalls improvement in local television after transmission improved for top manager in neighbourhood. Describes construction of Ninian base. Incredulity at concrete structure floating. Job was labour-intensive, weather awful. High turnover of labour. Many sub-contractors on site. Hard-earned money for labourers. Pressure on nursing staff. Gives example of nerve-wracking situation after a fight. Mentions muddy conditions. Police lived on site. Details. Relations with management not always good. Example of their attitude to people with emotional problems. Nurses were only refuge, observed confidentiality. Lot of emotional problems, other problems from gambling, drugs. Details. Mentions appearance in court as witness. Recalls being alone on duty but no problems. Often people just needed to talk. Management not interested in this. Recalls serious accidents on site. One fatality through an injury, 1-2 drownings of men returning from pubs. Most serious injuries from road traffic accidents. Recalls different attitudes of workers to earnings - some saved, others didn't. Social life on site - recalls Welly Bar. Management never realised workers' need to get off-site during time off. No prostitution problem. Reference to Nigg. Kishorn operation lasted 1974-87. Describes Ninian float-out day. Feelings at seeing it. When Ninian completed it was out of date. Explains. Describes camp clinic. Mentions Dr McNab from Lochcarron. Nurses did things then that would not be allowed now. Explains. Recalls a food poisoning case, life saved in ambulance by brandy. Reference to Raigmore Hospital, Inverness. Frequent use of ambulance for serious cases.
Side A Effect of work at Kishorn on family life. Recalls battles with daughters about education, temptation to leave school early, earn big money at Kishorn. Feelings for unskilled people when bubble burst. Details re daughters' qualifications, work etc. Importance of parenting. Recalls anxiety in Kishorn after each contract about next order coming. Permanent labour force tended to be skilled. Describes Maureen project. Compares with Ninian. Recalls accidents in Shed 19 where fabrication went on. Details re workforce which was generally a skilled one, sub-contractors etc. Member of Royal College of Nursing. Comments on attitudes of union officials, their agendas. Recalls strikes - which suited management at times. Explains. Details re one strike, one union leader. Once industry arrived, protesting conservationists etc just went away. Describes Kishorn when industry was in full swing. Recalls assembly of Maureen. No structures made same impression as Ninian. Details. Recalls smaller jobs, diminishing workforce, reduction in nursing staff. Stayed there till the bitter end. Life dominated by Kishorn. Involved with Community Council, and other organisations. Details. Explains feelings about giving something back to the community. Recalls feelings that Kishorn wouldn't last. Recalls social activities of Kishorn workers. Howard Doris did nothing for local community. Mentions liaison committee. Small trust fund set up by Howard Doris to compensate people when site closed, retraining etc. Fund well managed. Details re its eventual use. Circumstances leading to building of centre for elderly people. Recalls Sir John Howard, his ready answers. Lochcarron changed fundamentally and forever by Kishorn industry. Details re separate housing area built for industry management.
Side B Details re Finland Estate originally built for industry management - separate class of workers. Had opposed building of estate. Explains. Many properties now retirement homes. Impact on medical practices and town of high proportion of elderly residents. Howard Doris Centre built long after Kishorn industry. Road system in Kishorn area never brought up to standard. Not enough attention paid to west coast when industry arrived. Reference to Orkney, Shetland, Nigg. Possible fear that industry would go away if Ross & Cromarty council too aggressive. End of Kishorn industry: heard one day that company in receivership. Recalls speed of winding up process. Staff shocked. No job prospects in area. Details re dismantling of yard, sale of everything within weeks. Beds went to Romania. Reference to Jacky Ross. No farewell parties. Mentions Albert Granville, Chief Executive. Sense of disappointment at way it had all ended, anguish. Recalls expectations that industry would last, reinforced by visits by Prince Charles. Describes his pressing false start button to flood dry dock. Impression of him. Recalls visit of Royal Yacht. Totally left in the lurch by collapse of industry. Every last brick went. Situation now - as if it never happened, kind of Alice in Wonderland. Details re personal situation. Lot of people had to go on unemployment benefit. Effect on school, local shops. Reference to Howard Doris Centre. Fish farming took over, went into liquidation. Impossible to reinstate landscape. New idea of a quarry. Hearing same cries of protest from conservation lobby - recent arrivals in area. Explains own support for proposal. Mentions need for jobs. Kishorn in retrospect. |