Down Memory Lane

Ten Years Ago

*carluke taxi driver Stevie McFarlane couldn’t believe it when he was waved down in Old Bridgend and offered the biggest fare of his life. Stevie was gobsmacked when a middle-aged woman asked him to drive her to Southampton – 412 miles away. The trip took seven hours and cost the mystery woman £580.

* self-taught Carluke dancer Kimberley King enjoyed a taste of fame when she danced with 100 other budding stars at the new Dundee Space building, which had been recently opened by Prince Charles.

* grace slater and Nancy Glover, from Jean Sinclair’s Shoe Shop in Carluke High Street, were retiring after 24 years. The pair, who had started working in the shop within months of each other, would leave that Thursday, despite pleas from customers to stay.

* six double glazed windows had been smashed in vandalism attacks at Carstairs Village Community Centre, which reportedly faced closure if a recent spate of such attacks continued.

* ex-lesmahagow High School pupil, Private David Frame, was awarded a Mention in Despatches for bravery in the Gulf War. With no thought for his personal safety, David broke cover and crossed 200m of open ground under heavy fire to collect ammunition. He’d then retraced his steps through heavy fire to return to his position.

* CARNWATH’S Donna Kennedy accumulated more international rugby caps than any other woman in the history of the sport. Donna (32) received a commemorative plaque from Scotland men’s captain Chris Paterson at Murrayfield, having recently won her record-breaking 74th cap against Ireland in Limerick.

Twenty-FIVE YEARS AGO

* lanark rally star Jimmy McRae had been given the green light for a new block of flats in the town’s North Vennel. The development was earmarked for a site currently used as a storage yard by Allan Wallace plumbers and heating engineers, a company owned by McRae.

* current healthy demand for property in Carluke meant that sellers could achieve prices well above expectations, according to estate agents Stuart Wyse Ogilvie. “In particular, first-time buyers seem enthusiastic to gain a foothold in the property marketplace which is ensuring one/two bedroom flats and semis are especially in demand,” said house sales adviser Janet Cross.

* residents from Lanark’s Highburgh Avenue were awaiting a response from the Ombudsman after complaining about Clydesdale District Council’s handling of their dispute over a £28,000 roads bill in their street. The dispute had arisen over unfinished roadworks in the recently-completed housing estate. Program Homes, which built the houses, had gone bust before the roads had been brought up to an acceptable standard.

* a london train travelling to Glasgow had been delayed for an hour and a half after hitting something on the line at Braidwood. It was not known what the object was but the train had to be assisted to Motherwell where passengers joined one going to the city on the Argyle Street line.

* a carnwath garage owner forked out money to provide tools for children to use in brightening up the environment. Drew Wilson of Wilson’s Coaches had donated 17 trowels to the Central Scotland Countryside Trust to enable them to get local children involved in its environmental improvement projects.

* attempts to bring new hi-tech businesses to Clydesdale had been dealt a blow by the latest policy plan for Strathclyde. For the Regional Council had ruled that the district was too remote to cater for modern industries.

* a batch of nine luxury houses had been earmarked for the Upper Ward village of Dolphinton. The development of Peggie’s Knowe, next to the north lodge of Dolphinton House, was the latest stage in a project to create quality housing linked to a new leisure complex.

* lesmahagow Juniors fans were unhappy that the ‘unglamorous’ venue of Prestonfield in Linlithgow had been picked for that weekend’s Scottish Junior Cup semi-final against Ormiston Primrose.