Highlands and Islands Music and Dance Festival

May 2003

The Lismore Schoolchildren gave a beautiful performance at their first Highlands and Islands Dance Festival in Oban, and although they were not marked, as it was their first year, head teacher Freda MacGregor said they would have walked it to first place, no bother. Having an excellent teacher in the island’s own Anne Livingstone was the key as she brought out their natural talent and made them very keen. So keen they want to keep dancing and she has agreed to continue training them.

At the same event the recorder group won the Agnes Connelly Shield for Junior Recorder Class, the adjudicator saying they made a lovely and very musical sound.

Computer Club Wine and Cheese

June 7 2003

Lismore is now a digital community. It’s official. And there’s no going back. After centuries of moving slowly from isolation through various forms of contact as the result of ferries, electricity, radios, telephones, television etc. suddenly we are just as able as any city to turn on our computers and address the world. Tell them we are here, what we want to say to them (if anything) and what we have to offer.

Guests gather

And all in a year. To celebrate this momentous leap the Computer club felt a little razzmatazz was in order so on Saturday June 7 we hosted a wine and cheese and invited the island. We also invited Paul Cairns one of the instigators of the entire project to tell us how it was all going, what progress was being made improving the phone lines, and how www.argyllcom.net, the project’s website, was there for our benefit. Best news from him was that the 2 people with such poor lines they have no access to the net, were to finally get upgrades and that the entire island was getting a 3 month extension on free access as we had been the first connected and had suffered all the teething problems.

Next John McLuckie from Argyll College, who ran the training, congratulated mentors Denise Willis, Marie Hay and Janette Stewart on running the classes so well and outlined what training may be available in the future as some cash was still in the pot. Good news.

Next it was the locals turn and Steven clearly told us how to apply all necessary upgrades to Norton etc which are all due for renewal and Pauline urged the island to embrace the digital age and their own website with enthusiasm and to use it to tell the world we are here and we welcome visitors. She asked for ideas to take the site on and give it more sparkle as well as make it relevant to everybody.

Finally Richard Warwick from introduced the site he runs from Mull,  www.2000friends.co.uk,  yet another larger digital community we can go for help, news, and ideas.

Richard Warwick from 2000friends speaks

David White put up a good display of computer gadgetry to help anyone with problems or wanting information about printers, scanners, webcams etc and, club members served wine, cheese, tea, coffee and biscuits liberally and the whole evening, a great success, was chaired by Teenie.

COFFEE GALORE

On 17 May 2003 the medical staff held a coffee day in support of the Oban Hospice Appeal and the Sandpiper Trust. It was well supported by the locals who enjoyed morning coffees, lunches, and afternoon teas from 10.30 until 4.30 raising £300 in all. Thanks are due to Sandy, Tess and Josie who worked hard and kept everyone smiling.

Beth and Mairi say thanks to all.