Winter Newsletter

Vol 1 2002

"For those of you that don’t know me, I am Jim Coutts, President of the Shetland Society of Wellington. I feel deeply honoured and humbled to be asked by Annie to speak about her late husband – known to some of you as Magnus, but to Shetlanders as Magnie. Both as a fellow Shetlander and a friend I know that he is going to be sorely missed.

My first recollection of meeting Magnie was on holiday with the Gifford family in Raumati when I was still in my early teens. I found that we shared a number of things in common – we had both emigrated to a new country as young boys – Magnie was 13, I was 12. We had both experienced attending high school where neither the teachers nor the pupils could understand what we were saying.

And we both came to love our adopted homeland in New Zealand without ever losing our love for our birthplace and Shetland heritage.

Magnie’s contribution to the Shetland community was outstanding. He played an important part in the resurgence of the Society in the early 1970’s with the formation of a Viking Squad and the construction of the Shetland Society’s galley "Brigdi". This galley – or longship – was lovingly crafted in Magnie’s brother Jim’s joinery workshop in Ebor Street, Wellington. The presence of the Squad, with the very resplendent Brigdi, in the shopping malls around Wellington, and at Coastlands, was instrumental in promoting Shetland’s heritage as well as putting the Shetland Society of Wellington in front of the public.

Later it was very fitting that the Squad was invited to join in centennial celebrations in Ekatahuna, Norsewood and Pahiatua where Magnie had spent so many of his early years in New Zealand. It was at Pahiatua that the Brigdi was finally set ablaze in true Shetland and Up Helly Aa tradition.

For many years Magnie was an active member of the Viking Squad, only stepping aside when he thought it appropriate for younger members to take over.

When Laurie Laurenson died In 1984 Magnie was elected to succeed him as Patron of the Shetland Society of Wellington – a position he has held through to his passing on Sunday. In 1985, the year following his election as Patron, Magnie and Annie attended the 2^nd Hamefarin celebrations in Shetland.

The New Zealand contingent was by far the largest party from anywhere in the world. For many there will always be the special memory of Magnie presenting, on behalf of the Society, a beautifully carved Maori Waka to the people of Shetland, which is still proudly displayed in the Lerwick Town Hall.

A lot of interest in New Zealand was generated by the Hamefarin which led to a group deciding to organise a "Reverse Hamefarin" to visit here in 1987. This was the first occasion I had of actually working closely with Magnie as he acted as Secretary of our organising committee. Annie and Magnie, along with Ann Niven, took on the unenviable task of arranging accommodation for the group of almost 100 Shetland visitors - all with families in Wellington.

It was then that I really came to appreciate the tremendous knowledge that Magnie had of Shetland folk. His and Annie’s knowledge of the Shetland community was quite amazing as he never forgot the friends and families from Shetland that were part of his early years in New Zealand. Magnie retained a tremendous knowledge about them, their families and their movements and extended this over the years to form an extensive network of Shetland contacts here in New Zealand.

In 1997 the Society celebrated its 75^th Anniversary. To mark this milestone the Society organised "Shetland Week" to highlight the launch of its book "Chips off the Auld Rock". Magnie played a pivotal role in these celebrations as well as in the publication of our book of which the Society is justifiably proud.

It started three years earlier when Magnie agreed to chair a sub-committee to evaluate the way in which the Society should record its history. In his own inimitable way he made sure that the history was not only recorded for posterity, but was also thoroughly researched. He spent many hours poring over the Society’s minutes, which were often quite repetitive and frequently boring. I know his fellow committee members would agree with that!

His work in making extensive notes, compiling lists, writing letters, and contacting people were absolutely invaluable to our historians Susan and Graham Butterworth who wrote the book. Magnie gave freely of his time and his enthusiasm, thoroughness, perseverance and great astuteness meant his contribution to our book was enormous.

Magnie also participated fully in our Shetland Week celebrations, which left many of us in awe of his stamina for a man already in his late eighties.

Most of all it will be for his tremendous support that he gave to our Society as Patron, and to me as its President, that I will remember Magnie. With Annie always behind him lending her strength as well, the Society could not have been served by a more supportive Patron.

You were always prepared to listen and offer advice which invariable was good advice. You had an amazing memory and a wonderful sense of humour. Your ability to recall stories from the past was legendary. You were a very caring husband, father and grandfather to your family and a very special person in the Shetland community.

For those of you who were able to be at Magnie’s funeral you will know that my tribute was only one of many. I will especially remember the tribute that Margaret made to her father as one of the most moving and eloquent tributes that I have ever heard. His family mourn the loss of a husband, father, brother, uncle and cousin, and as part of the wider Shetland family we mourn the loss of a great friend and supporter. We will all miss his great love for his fellow man and his wise counsel. Sadly for us all, I must also record the passing of two more of our members.

Despite the death of our Patron, Magnus Priest that morning, our 2002 Picnic went ahead as we knew that would be what he would want. We had an excellent turn out with over 80 attending, and as usual the races were run enthusiastically by the children (and with a little less exuberance by the not so young!). Congratulations to Leonie Coutts and Richard Rumbal who won the Robert Stout Rose Bowl and the Gifford Tait Memorial Cup respectively. As usual the day ended with the prize giving, a lolly scramble for the children, followed by a very pleasant BBQ.

bÅsem - broom

THE SHELTIE

Its just not our birdlife that we are famous for but also our ponies and our Shelties - the Shetland sheepdog.

The Sheltie description is almost a description of the typical Shetlander - "generally healthy and hardy, stocky, even-tempered, and unusually bright and willing to please"

It’s tempting to label our Shetland Sheltie as a miniature Collie and it’s certainly true that both breeds had a common ancestor, a herding dog bred in the Highlands similar to today's Border Collie. However when the Border Collie was introduced to Shetland from Scotland it was probably crossed with a small local breed, possibly of Viking origin ( I don’t have any information on this forebear) giving rise to the cross that we know today.

The harsh climate, rugged terrain, and limited space of the Islands has given the world a number of small breeds of animals, including our Shetland ponies, Shetland sheep and our Shetland Sheepdog. With the long winters, sparse vegetation, and the short growing season crofters needed a small, hardy dog to herd the flocks.

The old records show that the dogs were independent and intelligent enough to leave in charge of the herds and flocks while the crofter attended to other tasks – such as digging peat for the fire or catching fish for the evening meal.

The Shetland Sheepdog is double-coated for warmth and weather-proofing; the long, flowing outer coat repels the cold rain and blocks the wind, and the soft undercoat insulates the skin. The small size and tremendous agility are suited for working sheep in rocky territory and for easy-keeping—he doesn't eat much or take up much room in the house. New Zealanders visiting the Shetland Croft Museum, will appreciate this when you note how small the croft is. In winter it had not only the family – grandparents , parents and children but storage, livestock and feed as well. A small dog was definitely an advantage.

The Sheltie stands around 13-16 inches ( 30 –40cm ) at the withers (top of the shoulders) The lush coat that I mentioned above is the Sheltie’s trademark. Rich sable and glossy black colours and marbled merle patterns of diluted black or sable, each with white markings, are shared only with the Collie. The sable can be a clear pale or deep gold or have black frosting or shading. The black and merle coats can have tan markings. Temperament, health, and behaviour

The Sheltie is a herding breed, and like the other dogs in its group, needs a job to do. If there are no animals to herd, he'll probably try to round up the children instead. If he isn't given a job to do, he can become nervous and that can lead to some enthusiastic barking in an attempt to dissipate his pent-up energy and drive.

Herding dogs have a great affinity for people as well as work. Well-bred Shelties are bright, responsive, and devoted to the family. They are a little shy and suspicious of strangers ( just like many of us I suspect) but are good watchdogs as a result. They love to play ball games which makes them wonderful children's companions. Their desire to please makes them easy to train, so they are a delight to take on walks

All Around Me

All around me
The stubble of last year
Is turning over
As seagulls danceBehind the plough.
Snow-white kites
Against the blackened
Earth.

All around me
Seagulls drum against
The ground
And couple unashamed
As shalders probe the earth
And the bonxie returns.
Majestic - aloof
Pointing into the wind

Oblivious
To the startled lapwings'
Twisted dance
And cry
As all around me
Spring and Summer merge.

For the fourth year a summer academy is to be held in Kalvåg during August and seems set to be a lively and varied affair.

Shetland is the academy's theme and exchange country. A provisional programme sent by organiser Karin Flatøy Svarstad lists water colour, acrylic and mixed media painting courses as well as wool felting techniques. International instructors include Ruth Brownlee from Shetland. During the first few days of the event there are to be various kinds of demonstrations, exhibitions of traditional boats plus musicians from Shetland. Numerous tours on offer visit Måløy,Vågsøy, Selje, Stat, Nordfjord, Hornelen and lots of other places either historic and scenic.

Kalvåg is a small fishing village in Bremanger invariably described as picturesque. It is also the place where three Shetland women made their homes. Fishing still counts for a lot here and Shetland pelagic boats land at the Domstein factory. Of late there has been a big rise in visitor numbers, thanks to local enthusiasm and investment.

A large area of the waterfront has been reclaimed and lower-price accommodation built which looks very like the old bøds and nausts. Boats for hire include a small fleet of 30' wooden ex-purse net dories. Ms Svarstad says Ruth Brownlee and Hazel Hughson are organising the workshop part of this event.

Hands up how many readers have visited Fair Isle? We are all familiar with the knitting but I suspect quite a few readers have not visited the Island itself - I have only seen it out the window of the flight from Aberdeen to Sumburgh. So I have tracked down some background material from Dave Wheeler of Fair Isle, the Fair Isle Observatory, Shetland Life and a very informative Zetland Education Committee publication. 

Fair Isle is 40 km (25 miles) south of Sumburgh head. It is 5 km long and about 3km wide. Some of the 70 or so islanders still live in traditional crofts on the more fertile and low-lying southern third of the island. (In line with the general depopulation of the smaller Islands back in 1891 the census recorded 223 locals.) The northern part is largely rough grazing and rocky moorland, rising to the 217m ( 712 )feet above sea level Ward Hill.

The first point to note is that the Island is owned by the National Trust for Scotland. Along with mainland Shetland it is home to one of the most diverse seabird colonies in Europe so it is an important bird sanctuary. In 1948 George Waterston, a keen ornithologist purchased the Island and then in 1954 transferred ownership to the National Trust. The Island has a "Special Protection Area" designation along with a protection plan for the inshore waters.

Norse settlers named it "Fridarey" - the island of peace - but it was also used by the Earls of Orkney and the Vikings before them as a look-out post and for sending fire signals to and from Shetland. The sagas tell how Kari the Viking wintered there on his voyage to the Hebrides.

In the 16^th Century English navigators in search of a North-West passage noted the island in their logs. Here is one written by Martin Frobisher in 1576 " The 24 day of June a 2 of the clocke after noon I had sight of Faire Yle being from us 6 leagues North and by East, and when I brought it Northwest and by North it did rise at the Southmost ende with a little hommocke and swampe in the middle" Swampe back then meant hollow or dip. The rise would have been Ward Hill. The "hommocke" may have been the Sheep Craig which is a rocky mass almost cut off from the main body of the Island.

However , while Fair Isle may have been a useful landmark for shipping, in storms and fog its coastline is dangerous and there are over 100 recorded shipwrecks.

Over the centuries the island has changed hands from time to time with the crofters paying rent in butter, cloth and fish oil - usually to absentee landlords. It was relatively isolated until the safe summer harbour was established at North Haven.

As you would expect the main export from the Island for some centuries was dried salt fish. I suspect that eco tourism is now an important mainstay of the economy.

Recent archaeological research suggests the Isle was settled by Neolithic people over 5,000 years ago. There are traces of oval-shaped stone houses, and lines of turf and stone walls, or dykes, which snake across the landscape. The "Feely Dyke" for example is a massive turf rampart which divides the common grazings from the crofts.These Neolithic people brought with them their cows, sheep and possibly red deer. The livestock would have had an immediate and lasting impact on the environment along with clearing areas of woodland scrub for cooking, building and grazing. They would have worked the land with stone ploughshares, growing grain and raising cattle and sheep. Their cultural links with mainland Shetland is reflected in their burial chambers, house styles, pottery and tools. House styles were typically oval in shape, with thick stonewalls, turf and timber roof, a single entrance and alcoves around a central hearth. They had an internal diameter of some five or six metres, and sat low in the ground surrounded by cultivated land.

By the Bronze Age - around 1000BC the climate had declined, and it appears that a large volcanic eruption in Iceland had a substantial effect on the Northern climate for at least twenty years, which led to the abandonment of higher ground. The settlement at Ferny Cup has well-preserved dwellings, burnt mounds, field system and soil buried beneath bog iron and peat.

AGM Note your diaries -

When: 1^st September 2002

Where: Scots Hall

Further details will be sent out closer to the date.

In the last newsletter we mentioned an easier way of accessing our website. Just click on searchnz , type in wellington shetland society hit enter and there is our address. We are also working on a backup portal at geocities.

Gibbie Inkster has tracked down the following link for Shetland radio on the Internet. Once it has loaded click on local news bulletins. Note: before you open the program if wants to link to another program chose "Real Player" as your link not "Quick Time"....................

This newsletter is the official communication of the Shetland Society of Wellington Inc.

To contact us : Write to PO Box 14 -708, Wellington

Email Jim at:  coutts.jim-rose@xtra.co.nz

Email Ian at  sheba17@paradise.net.nz

Website http://user1292052.sites.myregisteredsite.com/