Forestry Memories

North Scotland Conservancy senior staff at Strome

North Scotland Conservancy senior staff at Strome

Date Added: 08 November 2010 Contributor: Norman Davidson Year of Photo: 1962 Picture No: 665

Photograph courtesy of David Paterson, Edinburgh.

David’s photograph shows senior North Scotland Conservancy staff at a demonstration (thought to be in Strome Forest circa 1962) of the newly introduced and modified Isachsen Winch by the Work Study team led by Stan Forrester (DO1).

Note: DO refers to grade District Officer who, when in the field, managed a district containing several forests each of which had a head forester in charge and later some chief foresters in charge following forest amalgamations. There were two grades of DO ie 1 and 2 the latter mainly being assistants. (Forest Officer (FO) grades were created after 1983 following amalgamation of Forester and District Officer grades with District Forest Officer (DFO) being the head of a District and Forest Officers 2, 3 and 4 lower down the grades).

The people can be seen more clearly in the large image but the numbers refer to the following names:
1. Ron Marnie (DO Fort William)
2. Jock Chrystall (Divisional Officer - South) with walking stick
3. Jimmy Denholm (Forester – South Strome)
4. John A Dickson (Conservator North Scotland)with walking stick
5. Stan Forrester ( DO Work Study branch)
6. David Paterson (DO Mid Ross District –Dingwall)
7. Jack Massey (DO Affric to Glen Urquhart District – Cannich)
8. George Taylor (DO Wester Ross to Skye District – Dingwall)
9. Alan Ray (hidden at back – Assist DO Fort Augustus)
10. John Drummond (DO Fort Augustus)
11. Finlay Macrae (DO Fort William)
12. Callum Nicolson (Admin and Finance Officer, North Scotland)
13. John Ogilvie (DO East Inverness District – Culloden)
14. Sandy Morrison (Acquisition Officer, North Scotland)
15. Alan F Mackay (DO Easter Ross/Black Isle District)
16. Joe Huntly (hidden at back Assist DO Dornoch District)
17. Ian A D Grant (DO Dornoch District – Dornoch)
18. Bob Innes (Divisional Officer – North)

David adds a footnote:
Duncan Macleod is not in the photograph but possibly was DO on Private Woodlands based at Inverness.
In the whole of Scotland at this time there were 59 District Officers (35 at Grade 1 and 24 at grade 2) nearly all within 5-7 years of an age gap.

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Groups: Forestry Areas, Groups of people

2 Comments

My late father Dr William Hill knew Ron Marnie and his wife Jenny when they came to South Wales in the late 1950's and lodged next door to us at Alltycham. In or about 1961 I recall that we stayed with Ron and Jenny at their B&B just outside Fort William. I remember their daughter Rhea. I found the reference whilst searching for a motorhome site in F W for next year.Any surviving relative is welcome to contact me at jonighill@gmail.com Comment left on 10 November 2018 at 18:26 by Jonathan Hill
Jonathan - If you look at picture No 3432 you will see that Ron Marnie has made a comment and left his email address. Comment left on 11 November 2018 at 08:19 by Norman Davidson
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