Wester Ross Forest District Vehicle, Machinery and Equipment (VME) in 1993
The image of the whiteboard was taken by Sam Brown, Forester in the Glen Urquhart and Affric areas. The board had made its way to the Balnain Office which is about to be demolished and it was then that the lists were noted on the reverse and hidden side. It has to be assumed that the board had a new role after office computers were in regular use or the closure of the Balmarcara Office following the amalgamation of the Wester Ross and Fort Augustus Forest Districts around 2004 or earlier. The image was forwarded to Forestry Memories by Kenny Hay, Newton Nursery, Tree Seed Resource Manager.
This remarkable piece of Wester Ross Forest District history gives a glimpse into the personnel and machinery located in the District thirty years ago. The board would have been used as a quick reference for checking the FC numbers and operators of the various machines and vehicles held in the District and also the communication radios fitted into them. The machines would have been located as far apart as the former forest units of Ratagan, Achnashellach and Skye.
Some personnel listed are:
D Grant
R Bain
M MacDonal
R MacMillan
R Barton
H Vowles
C MacDonald
R Macdonald
J Inglis
M D Mackay
B Taylor
W Sutherland
A MacKenzie
A Woodhouse
W Miller
M Morrison
G MacIntosh (Grant?)
H Bowers (Henry)
MacAskill
R MacKenzie
Vehicle, equipment and machine types listed are:
Maestro FC55111 – FC53360 - FC71238 – FC71249 – FC55106
Pick Up – FC56577 – FC55096 – FC51288 – FC51296
Astra – FCFC72239 – FC72237 – FC72235 – FC72238 – FC72236
Land Rover – FC53250 – FC71296 – FC70564 – FC72844 -
Nova – FC56886 – FC56614 – FC56613 – FC56631 - FC
JCB FC67240
Argo cat FC5319?
Lorry FC71180
Chainsaws - Husqvarna 254, 266 plus Clearing saws
Kubota FC54954
Lokomo FC66862
Harvester – FC71427
Fire Pumps
Heli Bucket
Cundey Peeler
Fuel Tanks
Vehicle Trailer
Grass Mowers
The board also notes the replacement dates for the anti vibration (AV) rubbers in the chainsaw handles, the last full dates being May 1993 plus the testing dates of three lifting winches again in 1993.
Any comments and more information on the machines and vehicles as well as the operators/drivers would be very welcome. The names of the admin and office staff (Silvia Morrison?) who kept the board updated at this time would be a bonus.
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Groups: Forestry Areas, Forestry Records, Booklets and Reports