Formartine Training Day - Meldrum Community Library, Nov 2006
(L-R - Craig Whyte, Renee McDonald, Douglas Watson, Dr Tom McKean and Judith Sleigh)
It seems a very long time ago now that our training days took place! It was a quiet morning at Meldrum Academy where the community library is open on a Saturday. Library staff kindly allowed us to use one of their wee conference rooms to have a look at the minidisk recorders and for Dr Tom McKean of Aberdeen University's Elphinstone Institute to share a bit of his experience as a fieldworker and oral historian.
Craig and Renee came to represent the Stonehaven Maritime Rescue Institute's Oral History Project which Craig now co-ordinates. Craig was our former Development Officer, so it was nice for him to come and find out what it was like to be behind the microphone rather than persuading the Lottery to give us money!
Douglas Watson, Librarian at the Gordon Schools, Huntly, but also a resident of Ellon and a member of the Ellon & District Heritage Society was interested to get started on interviewing people in his local area. He and Brenda Duncan will be coordinating the effort there in Formartine Partnership's base.
Judith Sleigh is one of our Barthol Chapel interviewers; her colleague Jenny Chalmers had already been to the training night at Fyvie earlier in November. The Sleigh family are now further represented as a distant cousin, young John Sleigh of Tolquhon is now joining the project as an interviewer.
The day consisted of getting to grips with the equipment and practising on eachother in the library; discussing ethics and interview techniques as well as having a flycup and a blether!
Craig continues to manage the MRI project and we look forward to their results later this year. Judith has completed 6 interviews in the Barthol Chapel area, and Jenny is continuing to build their local archive. Douglas is beginning his interviews over the summer. Dr McKean is currently organising an Ethnomusicology conference in Balmacara, Kyle of Lochalsh, which will look at music on the move, including travellers' songs, itinerant workers, bothy ballads and songs of the road in late August 2007.
Meldrum
Community Academy and Library. Built very recently, the school and library
facilities combine modern design and accessibility for the local area of
Oldmeldrum, Bourtie and Barra Hill. Standing at the front door and looking out
gives you a gorgeous view of Bennachie and the Garioch.
Thanks again to Rhona Robertson for allowing us to use their facilities and we will be back to present the archive next Easter!