Harvesting Team at Gorteneorn Forest, Ardnamurchan
The images were forwarded by Tom McLellan, Taynuilt, with input from Miller Harris independent forest manager and Denis Coy, Glennon Brothers harvesting manager.
The image features the Glennon Brothers (UK) harvesting team at Gorteneorn Forest. From Left to Right:
Alex Murray - Glennon Brothers Forest Manager
Ronnie Bird - Forwarder Operator
Iain McKenzie - Harvester Operator
Denis Coy - Glennon Brothers Harvesting Manager.
Harvesting is being carried out by Colin Brolly Forestry Ltd.
Tom McLellan writes:
Gorteneorn, as it was known in Tilhill Forestry, was planted in the late 1960s under the direction of John Lambert, Branch Manager of Tilhill Northern Branch based at Lhanbryde by Elgin. The Late Mr Derek Thomson, who was Managing Director and Deputy Chairman of DC Thomson, famous for publishing the Sunday Post, the Beano and the Dandy, owned the forest. Mr Thomson died in 2002 and the forest was subsequently sold to a neighbouring landowner.
Gorteneorn was one of the earliest forestry acquisitions in Scotland by Tilhill Forestry on behalf of private clients. Tilhill owned Gorteneorn House in the 1970s and it was available for staff to use when working in the forest and for holidays (since sold to nearby local estate owner). The management of Gorteneorn was transferred to Tilhill’s Argyll Branch in the early 1970s. I was involved with managing Gorteneorn in the late 1990s / 2000s.
I understand that when the forest was being planted, access had to be taken from the end of the road at Arivegaig, across the Allt Beithe River and then across the shore to Gorteneorn House between the tides and fording the rivers until bridges and an access road had been built.
Vaughan Hammond was the Branch Manager at Argyll from 1974 to 1985 sent the undernoted anecdote:
"Of additional interest, the main dunes area north of the Singing sands by Gortenfern was a practice site for the Commandos training at Achnacarry. D-Day landings and other landings were trained for there with onshore resistance. I brought in one of the post WWII Army led civilian bomb disposal units as I used to come across lumps of mortars and stuff in the big dunes. I had quite a big squad camped where the old track went down to the beach and the burn along to the left. They had a great time and couldn't understand that there were about 20+ hours of daylight.
Anyway, they logged and cleared just over 5,000 items on that first project and, because the dunes move about, I had them back 5 years later and the second tally was 3,000. That said, an item could be a fired bullet so it was not all explosive material. It did show though that it was serious live fire action. They dug big pits in the dune hollows, put in the findings along with their own charges and then blew up the whole pit.
Happy days!”
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Groups: Forestry Areas, Groups of people, Other Vehicles and Machines, Timber harvesters, processors, forwarders and cable cranes