Sayings and doings of 25 years ago...

THE future of a county school was being discussed in the East Lothian Courier on January 31, 1997.

The closure of St Joseph’s, a school near Tranent, for children with special educational needs, is to be recommended to the Scottish Secretary.

But the use of the site for a multi-purpose college campus with a residential child care centre in one of the four cottages is also to be examined.

The Social Work Committee was told last week that the majority of people who responded to a consultation on its future favoured continuation of the school, either in its present form, or modified in both size and use.

Sound arguments had been put forward about the value of the work done by staff and the importance of the school in the network of residential child care resources in the Lothians.

But local government reorganisation had left East Lothian with an expensive residential establishment that was too large to meet the council’s needs for residential care with education.

 

...and 50 years ago

A MAN was on the search for silver, according to the East Lothian Courier of January 28, 1972.

The Forth was rough and dirty on Sunday. The temperature was dropping. People gathered at the water’s edge at Cockenzie for a local man was in the water.

But Mr Alexander Chalmers hadn’t fallen in accidentally… he was in search of silver.

The £400 silver chain of office of the provost of Cockenzie and Port Seton had been stolen and Mr Chalmers had received a tip-off that the historic chain bearing the names of former Provosts of the burgh, was in the sea.

A keen skin-diver, Mr Chalmers, of the Forth Motor Company garage, was determined to find it. “But I couldn’t see anything as visibility was only about a foot,” he said.

 

...and 100 years ago

THE Haddingtonshire Courier reported on a man pleading guilty to trespassing in search of rabbits on January 27, 1922.

In Haddington Sheriff Court, on Monday, Richard Jones, labourer, Bridge Street, Nungate, pleaded guilty to having, on 1st January, been found trespassing in search of rabbits in a field at Under Bolton.

It was stated that a rabbit was found in his possession.

Accused said that he received a rabbit from another man.

He was 19 years of age, and at present unemployed.

The Fiscal said he was agreeable that the expense, amounting to £1, 0s 6d, should be modified, and Sheriff Macleod asked accused to pay 10s, allowing him a month to do so.