Editorial – The Scottish Banner Says….

July – 2021 (Vol. 45, Number 01)

The Banner Says…

Here’s Tae Us!

When I see the cover of this edition it takes me a few moments to process it. As the Scottish Banner enters its 45th year of publishing I cannot quite believe it.

I have gone from growing up and seeing the Banner on our dining room table each month and it always being around me as a child, to making my living being a part of this family business and now being responsible for making sure each issue gets out on time.

For so many years I would hear my mother Valerie speak of press time and I never fully appreciated all the various things that must happen to get this publication out to readers. Working with our writers, advertisers, printers, layout production and distributors, to turn around a monthly publication for thousands of people to I hope not only enjoy but feel a part of, can be quite a task.

The early days

For many years I was simply too young to have interest or care about what it took to create each issue of the Scottish Banner. I am still likely unable to fully grasp how those early issues even came together. I remember being a child and driving to the printers with my mother with large flats of the pages to be printed and figured somehow it all just happened.

Some may well remember the days before computers, yes they did not always exist, and I cannot help but wonder today how did we get to press each month? Newspaper publishing was vastly different in the 1970s and 80s, and I would often be in the office of the Banner and see cardboard page flats resting on large stands which were reviewed by standing as the tables were so high, this along with rolls of chemically treated typesetting paper and photos which were hot waxed onto the flats and then cut with sharp knives to create columns and make each page come to life. Just writing this I can nearly again smell the warm wax rolling across the front cover…

In our modern world of email and instant everything, as with any business, there are still many challenges in running the Scottish Banner, but I do not quite know just how I would have coped with our 1970s business model. To be reaching 45 years of publishing in the current conditions of the last 18 months is down to our incredible readers and advertisers, I thank everyone who has helped us stay viable as we have lost so much of our revenue from both events and advertising.

In this issue

The term Clydebuilt always stood for quality and referred to the once thriving shipbuilding industry on the River Clyde. The Ship Yard Trust is planning to create an attraction telling the story of the Clyde’s iconic shipbuilding heritage. The plans are out for public consultation, and they are also looking for stories and memories of working in the yards as apparently the records were all incinerated. Perhaps you or someone in your family has a tale to share and add to the heritage and identity of Glasgow?

Not a day goes by where negative news is not heard on the radio, in print, on TV or across social media. This has of course been heightened with the pandemic as all our lives have taken a turn we did not see coming. It is therefore refreshing to read some positive news in this issue about some of the optimistic things that are taking place in Scotland this year. Our columnist David C Weinczok is opposite to nearly all our readers as a new immigrant to Scotland rather than from, giving a unique perspective and reminding us that some things in the world are heading in the right direction.

For when we can next visit Scotland again there is now another unique way to hit the high road. The Kintyre 66 (K66) is a new driving route to join the popular North East 250 (NE250), the South West Coastal 300 (SWC300) and of course the North Coast 500 (NC500). The K66 highlights 6 areas in Kintyre: Southend & Machrihanish, Campbeltown, East Kintyre, West Kintyre, Gigha and Tarbert. It may be a cliché but driving along listening to Sir Paul McCartney’s Mull of Kintyre is optional, but likely will be what I will do when I get to drive it.

Celebrated all our love of Scotland

The dream of the Scottish Banner came from my parents, Valerie and Jim Cairney, who understood what it was like to miss home and wanted to both have a business but also find a way to connect and relate to others like them abroad. At that time, they ran a successful Scottish restaurant called The Highlander Steakhouse and it was above this restaurant that the Scottish Banner was born. It gave my mother the opportunity to work more regular hours, with three young boys, than a restaurant could offer.

The legacy they created they could never have known then, and is one I thank them for today. For many years the Scottish Banner was the link to home for many, it has played its part in promoting Scottish events and businesses, connected people from across the world, told Scotland’s story and inspired countless thousands of people to visit, and with the over 500 editions created has celebrated all our common love of Scotland, regardless of where we now live.

And whilst I may not be surrounded by hot wax and typesetting paper in our office but
rather computers and social media posts, the vision of the Scottish Banner remains the same and thank you for being part of our incredible journey..

How have you enjoyed the Scottish Banner over the years? Share your story with us! Do you have you any comments from the content in this month’s edition? Share your story with us by email, post, social media or at: www.scottishbanner.com/contact-us

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