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The hairst New
Shetlander, number 245, is a packed issue. The lead article,
‘Averting climate catastrophe?’ is written by Dr Richard Pike, Chief
Executive of the Royal Society of Chemistry. It summarises the key
messages in his well-attended lecture in Lerwick in June. Dr Pike’s
informed opinions on energy provision and global warming may
sometimes surprise, particularly as he reflects on current popular
ideas on the subject. This is a substantial and very important
article for our time.
Another major article is David Waters’ ‘Radar on Saxa Vord: the
wartime years’, describing the construction and development of the
Admiralty Experimental Station, its work, its problems, its staff,
and its sometimes uneasy relationship with its close neighbour, RAF
Skaw. The details help to bring people and their circumstances to
life.
Linda Riddell has been researching the early nineteenth century
construction of two of Shetland’s best-known buildings: Sumburgh
Head lighthouse and Symbister House in Whalsay. The Peterhead
builder John Reid worked on both buildings, not without difficulty,
as Linda relates in ‘John Reid and his travails at Sumburgh and
Symbister’.
In his article ‘Good health’, J.W. Irvine reflects on the effects of
the introduction of the National Health Service, 60 years ago. The
editors take up the same theme. A keen ‘wadder eye’ ranges over some
of the features of our changing society, from weddings to to the
process of public consultation.
The poetry is particularly exciting in its range of style and
content. Poems include Christine de Luca’s ‘Rites o passage’,
inspired by two Finnish paintings, and Jim Mainland’s Shetland
versions of poems by the Australian Les Murray. Lise Sinclair’s
hairst poems ‘Shaeff, stook, |
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skreevlin, skroo’ are striking to
look at on the page, and rich in the vocabulary of corn and hirdin.
They read like a loving commemoration of a vanished way of life.
Four local poets, all members of the New
Shetlander committee, were recently involved in a collaborative
project with visual artists, and with writers and artists in Orkney.
‘Island mailboats’ explains the nature and progress of this unusual
project. Morag MacInnes from Orkney also wrote a story for bairns on
the ‘mailboat’ theme. It features here, complete with Morag’s
illustrations. Meanwhile, Orkney poet Yvonne Gray describes ‘Gunnie
day’ at the Pier Arts Centre in Stromness, an event held to
commemorate the life of Gunnie Moberg.
The New Shetlander is priced at £1.90.
Contact:
The New Shetlander, SCSS, Market House, Market Street, Lerwick ZE1 0JP.
Tel. +44 (0) 1595 743 902,
Fax. +44 (0)1595 696787,
e-mail: scss@shetland.org
Subscriptions:
Annual subscription rates (4 issues):
UK £10.60;
Overseas £12.00;
Overseas
airmail £16.60. |
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