Today’s letters to The Courier.
Sir, Having recently retired I am able to spend time in Dundee city centre during the day and I have noticed something which concerns me as a former teacher the number of schoolchildren who appear to have no classes during the week.
These children either have at least their school tie to identify the school, or they are with an adult without any school identification at all. In their ‘civvies’, in other words.
Further, these are not only youngsters from the upper school who just might have ‘study’ periods at various times of the day, but youngsters who are quite obviously members of the junior school or even primary school.
I believe there is no such thing as an attendance officer these days but I wonder whether the police might stop these children and, indeed, the adults who accompany them and question why they are shopping when they ought to be in school.
Tom McDonald.57 Durham Street,Monifieth.
A theatre to be proud of
Sir, As chairman of the Whitehall Theatre Trust I received enormous support and encouragement from the people of Dundee and along with many volunteers we were able to reopen the theatre in time for Dundee Schools to perform a wonderful show. Along with Gordon Philip, I stood at the back of the theatre and both of us agreed all the hard work and sleepless nights were well worth it!
Having achieved along with Gordon my target of saving the theatre for the future, I have now stood down from the position of chairing the trust and I wish the theatre all the very best for a long and successful future.
There would not have been a theatre in the first place had it not been for all the wonderful volunteers who gave so freely of their time and energy to open the theatre and raise funds some 26 years ago, some of whom are still involved to this day. Now a new team will take the theatre forward and again the volunteers will play a huge part in keeping the theatre alive.
I would like to express my sincere thanks to everyone who was and still is involved in the theatre and also council chief executive David Dorward and council heads who have come to the rescue of the Whitehall Theatre. It will always be the people’s theatre and I look forward to seeing all the local societies using it, as well as the professional shows, once again.
Please support the Downfield Musical Society pantomime and remember all the performers are doing it for you. Just like everyone involved with the theatre, they are volunteers who love the Whitehall, not paid professionals.
Derek H. Shaw.Former Chairman.Whitehall Theatre Trust.
Pot, kettle and black?
Sir, I could not help but smile to myself when I read in The Courier that Donald Trump has asked the Scottish Government to hold a public inquiry into the plans to build a windfarm off the coast of Aberdeen at Balmedie where he is building his controversial golf resort because he thinks it would spoil the view from there.
Having had the privilege of viewing Anthony Baxter’s documentary, You’ve Been Trumped, which showed the action taken by Trump against the few residents living at the edge of his project when he piled up mounds of earth and sand in front of their homes so that they could neither see or be seen, thereby cutting off their outlook, the words pot, kettle and black immediately sprang to mind.
Perhaps it would be more appropriate for the Scottish Government to hold an inquiry into what has actually been carried out on the site as opposed to what was in the original plans which, of course, were only approved at the second time of asking after the Scottish Government intervened to overturn the Aberdeen Council’s decision to refuse planning permission in the first instance.
I think it would be interesting to see what they would uncover.
John M. Page.8 Panter Crescent,Montrose.
Advice on how to keep warm
Sir, I was amused to read in last week’s Political Diary that Councillor Jean Lee of Carnoustie and her colleagues were ”not chuffed” by the cold in Forfar Town Hall. Surely they could have done what the elderly and poor are advised to do and put on an extra layer of clothing.
As for David Clegg asking them to turn up the thermostat, doesn’t he know that we who sit in extra layers are the ones who pay tax to keep these people warm? Maybe if we didn’t have to do that then we could keep ourselves warm this winter.
J. Rourke.111 Balgavies Avenue,Dundee.
Get involved: to have your say on these or any other topics, email your letter to letters@thecourier.co.uk or send to Letters Editor, The Courier, 80 Kingsway East, Dundee DD4 8SL.