Highland Bear in Clashindarroch Forest
The photograph is courtesy of the family of George Dey. George took many photographs in his forestry career and some are now shown on this web site. Check under ‘Groups’ and George Dey Collection.
Thanks to Colin Smith (FC, Roads, Huntly) who recognised the tractor and the young man on the lorry. Roy McGregor (Huntly) telephoned afterwards to confirm that it was he who was working on the lorry and that it was Sandy George who was operating the Highland Bear loader and tractor owned by Riddochs Sawmills at that time.
Roy drove a lorry belonging to the Huntly firm James Sey and was occupied driving loads of timber to the various small mills that Riddochs had about the area at that time. These would once have been mobile mills but with improving transport there was less of a need to move the mill. Indeed shortly afterwards the small mills all closed and Riddochs concentrated it milling resources at a large site at Kinnoir. The lorries were usually hand loaded, the fellers helping the lorry driver sometimes, but with the Highland Bear grapple loader, hand loading died out quite quickly and altogether when loaders were fixed onto lorries. Roy can remember running a couple of loads to Charlie Smith (Ordbrae) every weekend for a bit of extra overtime.
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Groups: Forestry Areas, Forestry in Action, George Dey Forestry Collection, Northeast Scotland , Timber harvesters, processors, forwarders and cable cranes