Sunday, February 1, 2003

 

LATEST UPLOADS TO WEB SITE

Duffus Deaths 1855 - 1951

Innes Duffus submittals:
-----The Hammerman Craft
-----The Destruction of Scone Palace
-----Early History of Dundee
-----The Jacobite '45 Rebellion
-----Address to His Majesty
 

Archaelogy in Elgin

Jack Duffus - Early Years

WEB SITES VISITED

Ancient Celtic Writing

Parish of Boharm

Animal Symbolism in Celtic Mythology

Pictish Chronicle

Columba

Pictish Holed Stones

Columban & Benedictine Saints

Power to Pictish Ladies

Cycling Around Speyside

Some Pictish High Kings

George Anderson Duffus

St. Columba

Hugh deMoravia

Ten Young Artists with Disabilities

John Duffus

The Celts

 

William - Lord of Strabrock

email

----- Original Message -----

From: Beth Duffus
To:
[email protected]
Sent:
Saturday, December 14, 2002 5:36 PM
Subject:
music

Hello, first I would like to thank you for making such a wonderful web site. Secondly I'd like to ask what's the song & Artist of the song  that plays on the main home page of the web site. I love the song and would be forever grateful if you should Provide me with the above information.Thank you for our time. 

Your Sincerely,
Beth Duffus                                                                                                                    (Welland, Ontario, CANADA)   

----- Original Message -----

Sent: Saturday, December 14, 2002 11:42 PM

Subject: Re: music

 

Beth,

 

Thanks for your email. The song is the theme from Bravehart. You can probably download it from www.kaaza.com.

 

Thanks for your comments about the web site!

 

Best wishes,

 

David

From: "Gordon D. Duffus" <[email protected]>
To: "David Duffus" <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, October 21, 2002 1:28 PM
Subject: Re: From Bonnie Scotland To Lovely Virginia


> David,
> I received this e-mail today. Although it was sent to me, it's not for
me..... at least the part concerning our meeting last summer. You know that
I can find Duffus Castle without assistance :-)  May I suggest that you put
it in the next Sunday News & maybe someone will recognize this gentleman &
get back to him.
> Thanks,
> Gordon
>
>
> [email protected]
>
Doug Murray wrote:

 Dear Douglas Exactly a year ago I read in The Northern Scot a thank you from a colonial to the British people for support on Sept 11. I thought there was a familiar ring to Duffus got the mystery man yet  anyway to cut a long story short up to Jan Feb 2002 I sent 2 or 3 e mail and a letter to USA all returned not known. So I sort of gave up! On Sept last on holiday on Stornoway Outer Hebrides we met an elderly American lady and her daughter I explained about your address she promised to try and trace you when she got home true to her word Sunday the 20 Oct new add arrived  Time to reveal my self. I am the man your wife met at the filling station in Elgin last summer I got in to your car and showed you the way to Duffus our meeting was brief, but as
I remember your Father or Grandfather was born in Duffus then your to play golf at Dornoch the following day did you get any birdies.  Am  I allowed to mention the Ryder Cup?  Oh oh.  Gold old Sam anyway. 

Douglas, I keep seeing your letters in the N Scot your quiet the Historian.  Sorry to read about your son hope things  have got better and his situation has improved. You will have to excuse my mistakes. All this Technology has come a bit late for me. We have an Amstrad - small screen telephone and key board present from the kids 2 Xmas ago. We do not use it much. Do hope this new address finds Chester. In the meantime Douglas good wishes to your wife and family and good health to everyone.
 

From  Douglas and Ann Murray
97 Duncan Drive Elgin       Morayshire    Iv30 4nh
Tel 01343 544762
 

Sent: Wednesday, July 24, 2002 7:37 PM

Subject: Dunbar's 1000 years


 

Have  you seen this privately published book(100 pages). On page 67 it states " .... arried first Gordon of Gordonstoun who died in 1701. In 1704 married Hon. JAmes Sutherland second Lord Duffus who took the name Dunbar and was created a baronet with remainder to heirs whomsoever."By virtue of the terms of the reminder to Hempriggs in 1963 a lady succeeded to the baronetcy Prior to this the names of Duff when Capt Benjamin Duff 92 Highlanders became de jure fifth of hempriggs and Sutherland assumed by the third baronet were added before Dunbar, Duff-Sutherland-Dunbar".

 

Yes, Neil would be happy to participate in the DNA testing. Shall talk to Barry & let you know next week.

 

I'm gearing up for my 40th birthday bash this weekend & Neil & I am climbing the Sydney harbour bridge on my actual birthday - 30 July.

 

Margaret Duffus
HR Co-ordinator
Metropolitan Region
Ph (02) 92892747
Fax (02) 92892785
Email: [email protected]

 

From: "Duffus Gordon (PRA)" <[email protected]>
To: "'David Duffus'" <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, July 15, 2002 8:56 AM
Subject: RE: Latest Issue of the Duffus Sunday News

Hi David,

Thank you for the link. I have not been up to date on my relatives that
 much. I am glad that you included an article on Parris who is my 1st
cousin.

We have been very proud of him.

Gord Richard Duffus
 

Sent: Sunday, July 14, 2002 3:48 PM

Subject: RE: Latest Issue of the Duffus Sunday News


 

David,

 

I hope you and your family are well, and thanks for the e-mail and the inclusion of my Grandfather in the latest "Sunday Evening News", I think you have done him proud. I will let my dad know, he is not connected to the internet so he will have to go into an internet cafe to have a look, or wait until the next time he visits Chester.

 

We have at last had two days of sun with the temperature hitting the 80's up until this it was nothing but rain, let's hope it lasts until Saturday when we are due to fly to America, we have been counting the days looking forward to our holiday.

 

A quick update of what's been happening, I am no longer a councillor have been defeated at the local elections in May so my old councillor e-mail address of [email protected] is not applicable now, you will need to amend your mailing list.

 

I fought the seat and was narrowly beaten into second place by a majority of 67, although disappointed at the time, I have got used to having time to do other things.

 

That's all for now.

 

Thanks again.

 

Regards,

 

Steve

 

 

 

----- Original Message -----

From: Innes Duffus

Sent: Sunday, November 10, 2002 2:47 PM

Subject: Fw: Hammermen


 

I have been in correspondence with this gentleman regarding his ancestors who were Hammerman, although sadly not as he thought in Dundee, and received this interesting reply.

 

Innes

----- Original Message -----

Sent: Saturday, November 09, 2002 10:16 AM

Subject: Re: Hammermen


 

Dear Mr Duffus

 

Thankyou for checking your material for James Geddy, his surname and occupation did suggest a Dundee origin but I shall have to look elsewhere.  I did look up the Duffus website which is quite impressive.  My interest is in Scottish emigration to early America and amon my data are a couple of Duffuses which may be of interest.  Andrew Duffus, a horsethief from Burghead, Moray, sentenced to be transported to the colonies in May 1775. [Aberdeen Journal #1432], Daniel Duffus, a Jacobite, transported from Liverpool to Antigua on the Scipio on 30 March 1716, and Alexander Duffus, born in Morayshire during 1783, a merchant who was naturalised in Charleston, South Carolina, on 15 November 1806. [USNA.M1183/1].  I hope they are of interest.

 

Regards

 

David Dobson

----- Original Message -----

From: Innes Duffus
To:
[email protected]
Sent:
Friday, November 08, 2002 2:25 PM
Subject:
Hammermen
 

Dear Mr Dobson:

Iain Flett has sent me a copy of your message asking about a James Geddy.

I have the names of all Masters entered into the Hammerman Records from 1587 to date on disk. Sadly no one by the name of Geddy, or any possible variations of that spelling are recorded, either in the 'Lockit' Book of the Trade or in The Journeyman Book, which included the Apprentices and 'servants', or employees. 

A short history of the Hammerman Craft of Dundee can be found on the website www.duffus.com which has been put together by a relative in N. Carolina.

Since it was written, a pair of Dundee Pistols made by I & L Low for Louis XIII of France in 1619 sold at auction for £54,000 in 2001.

It should be remembered that the only people to be come Masters were not only Craftsmen, but men of some means and influence (the influence was required in order to become a burgess of the burgh).

Most of the men who learned the Craft would become Journeymen, working for a Master. This of course, after an apprenticeship of seven years, plus one year for 'Meat and Fee', being part food and part wage.

During his apprenticeship, for which his father paid a fee, he would live in his master's house and the master and his wife would act in loco parentis.

If there is any more you would care to know about the Trades, please come back to me.

It will be no trouble to help all I can, as these things are too important to be left undiscovered.

Innes A. Duffus
Archivist to the Nine Incorporated Trades of Dundee

David

I was going over the Minute Books of the Wright Trade of Dundee, and came upon this entry, which might be of interest to you.

The Bond of Caution in question would mean that Adam was quite a wealth gentleman, as he was standing good for a very considerable sum of money.

The Wright Trade is one of the Three United Trades of Dundee (the Masons, Wrights and Slaters) and were of course the joiners and workers in wood, and included glaziers. The word 'Skaith'  in this context would mean damages involving compensation.

 

6 October 1846

BOND OF CAUTION for George McDonald as Boxmaster of the Wright Trade of Dundee

WE Alexander Paterson Reid, Confectioner in Dundee, and Adam Duffus, Tobacconist, both in Dundee do hereby bind and oblige ourselves conjunctly and severally, our heirs, and executors and successors, as cautioners and sureties, for George McDonald, Cabinet Maker, in Dundee, elected Boxmaster or Treasurer of the Incorporation of Wrights or Wright Trade of Dundee by minute of a General Meeting of the said Trade of date the twenty fourth day of September, One thousand eight hundred and fort six for the period from that date till Michaelmas One thousand eight hundred and forty seven and that he shall at the said Michaelmas next or at any time previous to that date when required by the said Trade or Committee to make, a true and faithful account, of his intromissions with the funds of the said Trade, and faithfully account for every part and portion thereof, and that the shall pay over whatever sum may be in his hands to the said Trade or to any person who may be appointed by them to receive the same as such shall be ascertained by the said Committee and we further bind and oblige ourselves and our forsaids conjunctly and severally that this obligation shall be good and effectuall if the said George McDonald shall be re-elected Boxmaster for any period subsequent to the said term of Michaelmas next and for such length of time as he may be so re-elected, and be as binding on us for his intromissions, and faithful discharge of the duties of the said Office, as it is upon us for the period of the present election and I, the said George McDonald do hereby bind and oblige me, my heirs, executors and successors, to free and relieve and harmless and skaithless keep the said Alexander Paterson Reid and Adam Duffus of all consequences that may follow of their becoming cautioners for me in manner foresaid, we all hereby dispense with all and every objection competent to us or either of us, to the validity of this obligation on account of the same not being written on stamped paper and also to enter into a regular and formal Bond on stamped paper at our own expense when required by the Trade or said Committee to do so, under a penalty of Twenty Pounds Sterling. In witness Whereof these presents written in the Book of the acts & Sederunts of the said Trade partly on this and partly on the preceding page by James Clark, Apprentice to John Anderson, writer in Dundee are subscribed by us the said Alexander Paterson Reid and Adam Duffus along with the said George McDonald at Dundee the second day of October in the year Eighteen hundred & forty six before these witnesses – William Ramage Rattray, Clerk to the said John Anderson & the said James Clark

(Signed)

Geo. McDonald

Alex. P. Reid

Adam Duffus

Wm. Rattray Witness

Jas. Clark Witness

Cheers,

Innes

Innes A. Duffus
15 Charlotte Street
Dundee
DD3 8QP
Tel 01382 826602
e-mail [email protected]

 

From: Innes Duffus
To:
David Duffus
Sent:
Wednesday, December 25, 2002 4:10 AM
Subject:
Xmas

David, Diane & Family

 
Merry Christmas to You All
 

With your usual impeccable timing, the excellent print of 'OUR' Castle arrived on Christmas Eve.

I shall now have it framed and hung in a place of honour in the house.

Hopefully you are all well and together this special day.

Sadly Lynn is working over the holiday, caring for the homeless and Carol is also involved elsewhere, so we will be on our own. However we don't really mind as we are happy having a quite and peaceful day to ourselves. Must be a sign of age!

Both the girls came down last Saturday to have an early Christmas with us. We had a great day. When my lot get together the noise and chatter is beyond belief. I have had time to recover, ready for today.

Muriel asks to be remembered to you.

David, this is Christmas - forget all the trouble and aggravation of work - Enjoy.

Innes

 

----- Original Message -----

From: David Duffus
To:
Dr. John Henderson Duffus
Cc:
Innes Duffus
Sent:
Thursday, January 02, 2003 8:05 PM
Subject:
Victoria's wedding

Dear John,

I failed to respond to your email about your message regarding Victoria's wedding. Diane and I would love to see them.

I have been busier this year than ever and have appeared at a number of conferences speaking about either Baycol or toxic mold. In fact, I have been asked to speak at a conference of international personal injury attorneys in March. Unfortunately, I have a trial at that time in the western part of the state involving a Baptist minister who developed aspergillus niger in his sinus cavity after operating his GM Cadillac Escalade SUV for a number of months. The minister is quite ill and has incurred over $250,000 in medical bills. Article is attached. http://newsobserver.com/news/story/1796482p-1801090c.html

We're also representing a number of people who have developed meningitis or mold in their bones after being injected with a steriod compunded by a South Carolina pharmacy with a Wangiella mold. Article is also attached. http://cgi.citizen-times.com/cgi-bin/story/business/9329

I've been so busy that I failed to take any vacation last year except for a few days at Christmas. I'm usually on the road (out of state) for depositions Monday through Thursday. I have had the office purchase an RV (motorized caravan) so I can take my staff with me. They complain that when I come back into the office I have no time to meet with them.

Diane is doing well. Also, Megan just graduated from NS State University with a degree in communications and is trying to get a job with our US Senator who has declared his candidacy for president in 2004.

Glad to hear from you and I am a sorry relative for corresponding. I leave my personal business as my last priority, although I am sure it offends most people including my creditors.

Give our best to the family for the New Year and please tell Victoria and Alberto congratulations.

I'm planning on doing another Duffus gathering in Scotland in 2005 so maybe we can see Victoria again.

Innes Duffus in Dundee has been bombarding me with article and Scottish history to include in the Duffus Sunday News. I have quite a bit of material that I have collected. The planned October issue became the November issue, the December issue and now the January 2003 issue. I have accumulated a list of many of the Duffus émigrés to the US and the ships they traveled on; archeology carried out on High Street in Elgin; all of the Duffus deaths in Scotland between 1855 and 1954; my dads photos when he was a baby; numerous emails and articles about Duffuses on the internet etc. The problem has been creating tables on the web pages, time in designing the pages and trying to include too much and lastly my schedule which brings me home on a Friday evening and puts me back on an airplane on Sunday afternoon.

By the way, someone sent me an email inquiring about the Differs connection. After receiving the email, I discovered the puzzle through rationalization. A Duffus in the Moray/Aberdeen area had his name recorded as Duffers. This had to be a scrivener error or just a matter of trying to spell Duffus. He moved to Errol and the name was recorded as Differs. Our family, descended out of the Errol ancestry pool, corrected the name back to Duffus. In fact, if one looks at the births recorded by James Duffus (Differs), the father of my great great great grandfather, John Henderson, and your great great grandfather, George Duffus, he uses Differs, Duffers and then finally Duffus for naming his children on their birth certificates.

Best wishes,

David

 

 Dear David

Thank you very much for your email.

Victoria received your very kind present and she will be writing to thank you as soon as she can.  The wedding was a very happy event and I shall send you some photographs electronically when I can.

The honeymoon was spent in Italy and since their return Alberto and Victoria have had little time to write to everyone who sent presents.  Victoria is kept busy with her accountancy.  She passed her first Chartered Accountant exam and now has the second to come next year.

Alberto’s parents moved here permanently from South Africa in August. They are not very well.  Alberto’s father was shot by a man trying to rob him 2 years ago and has never fully recovered.  His mother has a form of Alzheimer’s disease and needs continuous care.  So Alberto has been sorting out the formalities of their settling here and arranging for their care, initially in a flat near us but eventually in sheltered housing in Dunblane which is not too far away.  In addition, their flat has required more work than anticipated, party because the original plumbing was illegal having the WC connected to a rain pipe rather than the proper sewage pipe!!  They are staying with us at the moment.

Please accept Victoria’s apologies for not writing you sooner.  She was very appreciative of your present and you will hear from her and Alberto as soon as they can find time.

With our very best wishes from Carol and myself.  We keep well and busy with various things.  I hope you are not overburdened with work.  

Anna has just passed her exam to qualify as a Solicitor-Advocate, a new qualification in Britain, which permits her to represent clients in the higher courts.  Previously only barristers could plead cases in higher courts in England.  She has also recently had a paper published on the forthcoming European Directive on patenting computer software.

I hope that we may see you and Diane again before too long.

John

 

----- Original Message -----

Sent: Friday, December 20, 2002 6:03 PM

Subject: xmas greetings from Neil & Margaret Duffus, Sydney, Australia

Wishing your families all the best for 2003. May you have a great time at Xmas with your families. Our newsletter  for 2002 is attached.

Margaret Duffus
HR Co-ordinator
Metropolitan Region
Ph (02) 92892745
Fax (02) 92892785
Email: [email protected]

183 Beauchamp Road

MATRAVILLE NSW 2036
SYDNEY
AUSTRALIA

1 December 2002

ph: 02)96613967

mob:0414830742

email: [email protected]

2002 Duffus newsletter.

Wow hasn’t 2002 flown by?

Sarah is now 7 & in Year 2 at school. She really loves school & loves role-playing being a teacher(or maybe just being Miss Bossy). Again this year she did jazz, tap & ballet with exams during the year. She had her concert at Bankstown RSL on 15.11.02 & performed in 9 dances. It always great to watch it again on the video at home. During the year she also does swimming & gymnastics. During the summer she does Nippers & Oz-Tag.

Ryan is now 10 & in Year 4 at school. Ryan’s favourite past-times are T.V & more T.V if he was allowed; playing/constructing anything from K’nex & Lego to bashing bits of wood together or building a tree -house. Every Xmas Ryan spends time together with my Dad who’s hobby/retirement income is wood-turning. Together they always make a holiday creation which is just so lovely to treasure. In winter Ryan played League for the school(their team won the NSW State Public School knockout at Manly in July) & for Matraville Tigers(were the minor Premiers & Premiers for their division). In summer he does Nippers & Oz-tag.

Blake is now 12 & in Year 7at Marist College, Pagewood. He found out fairly quickly that going to high school is rather different, especially that the teachers don’t accept sly excuses when the homework is not done. High school is indeed serious stuff. At least the positive comments in the school diary now out weight the negative ones & the goal before the end of the year is to get one, just one, favourable comment from his English teacher. Blake loves the outdoors whether it is the surf, on his bike or on the skateboard.

He represented the school in swimming & league. His Sunday league team reached the minor semi-finals. He does swimming all year & has now reached the competitive level - hasn’t decided if he wants to take swimming that seriously. This summer he is doing Nippers & playing touch-football & Oz-tag. He still works of a Saturday morning for the local butcher, getting up at 5.30am - he is just as happy with payment in cash or food. He also helps out at the local chicken shop packing drinks into the fridge. He knows what shops to get himself employment

So, as you can see the kids have something on every day/7 days a week which does not leave much time to do much more & even I could & just don’t have the energy.

Me - I turned 40 in July. I wasn’t going to have a party, but my mother suggested I do (maybe she wanted a party to go to) as Dad was 75 also in July. Had a catering company to do the lot - marque/tables/chairs/cooking/serving/cleaning & so it was a fantastic party at home. Ryan was the photographer on the night & all the photos turned out really well. In late October , I went to Melbourne for 5 days & spent time with friends from my high-school days: Julie & Dianne. There is just something about Melbourne shopping or may be is it that Julie knows where all the good shops are. Had plenty of coffee & cake & on the Saturday a group of us went to the Cox plate. It was an enjoyable day & I even backed some winners. I played winter hockey again this year & captained the 4th grade team. We came 5th in the competition but won the club Team of the Year. During summer we play games , but no training & fitness. I am the manager for Sarah’s Nippers group again this summer. When time permits, I do some family history research. On 13 Dec(Black Friday) I am having my shoulder manipulated as it has been frozen for over 3 years now & physio/exercises have not improved the movement as the deep muscles are so tight.

Neil - plays golf every Sunday, some Mondays & whenever else he can. In July he had a lump appear on his lip - which he thought was from shaving. He went to a specialist in the August who gave him some cream to try & shrink it, but that didn’t work. In October he had it cut out & it was cancerous.

We had our first overseas family holiday to Fiji in June, We stayed at the Shangri-la Fijian, 45 mins from Nadi for 7 days & had an absolute ball doing very little. Lazed by the pool from 9am to 5pm most days. The kids were never far away doing some organised activity. As if Neil requested, our room just happened to be right opposite the golf course. In the 7 days we were there, he played golf on 3 occasions. One afternoon I hired a bike & went with a group into a local village. The villagers were preparing a feast to celebrate an engagement. As the men sat around drinking kava, the women were cooking -had a pig done in leaves like a hungi, had a turtle lying on its back ready to cook & some chickens were being curried. It seems the distinction of genetic roles is universal!! On that same afternoon Sarah & Ryan enjoyed a trip into a village to play with the local kids. On another afternoon, Neil, Blake, Ryan & I went on a bike ride into a larger village which was much different from the first one I had gone to .

As we know, the Bali bombing was an absolutely despicable act of terrorism. It is even a harder time when it is people that we had known. There were so many people from our local area that were killed & injured. I knew a girl through my hockey club & Blake lost a dear friend from school - his reading buddy.

In January, the engine in the Commodore - the car we have had since Ryan was born in 1992, just wasn’t going to make another trip to Nambucca so we traded it in for a 2000 model Commodore. We had the windows tinted recently. It is certainly such more comfortable to drive in.

So that was our 2002. Would dearly like to hear what you’ve done in 2002.

Wishing you a merry Xmas with family & friends.

Let the year 2003 be a safe & happy one for us all.

Love always,

Margaret

----- Original Message -----

From: Lyall
To:
[email protected]
Sent:
Sunday, December 22, 2002 3:39 AM
Subject:
Email address change and seasons greetings

Hi,

This is just a quick email to tell everyone that due to excessive spam I've finally canned my old email address and started afresh. 

I started the new email address [email protected] some months ago so you might already have it, but if you've still got my email address listed as [email protected], please delete and replace with [email protected].

Have a great Christmas and New Year!  :-)

Regards,

Lyall

DUFFUS'S IN THE NEWS

Former Chief Justice dies


DUFFUS

FORMER CHIEF Justice of Jamaica Sir Herbert Duffus has died at the age of 94. Information about his death yesterday was scanty, but it was confirmed by a family member, who did not wish to give any further information.

Sir Herbert was appointed Chief Justice of Jamaica in 1968 and has acted as Governor-General, was Resident Magistrate, Judge in the Court of Appeals and chairman of several Commissions and Com-mittees of Enquiries in Jamaica. He headed some 15 Commissions of Enquiry into issues ranging from allegations of electoral malpractices to civil unrest.

He was born in St. Ann's Bay in 1903, the son of William and Emil. He attended Cornwall College and has been described as one of Jamaica's most outstanding Chief Justices. He was president of the Court of Appeal then Chief Justice from which he retired at age 64.

His report on prison conditions between 1953 and 1954 led to the women prisoners in the General Penitentiary being relocated to what is today the island's main female prison, Fort Augusta, St. Catherine.

His favourite past-time was fishing and he served with distinction in the Boy's Scouts, Jamaica Volunteer Training Corps (part of the local forces who watched the coasts during World War II for enemy ships and submarines) and the Cheshire Homes Movement, which looked after the interests of invalids and which established the Cheshire Village at Mona.

Sir Herbert was knighted by Queen Elizabeth on a visit to the island in 1966.

Westwood Regional Schools
Mrs. Pamela Duffus- Art Teacher

Home | Staff Directory | Welcome | Profile
Assignments | Links | Calendar | Gallery | E-mail Me

Profile

Pamela Duffus is a teacher of the Visual Arts. Currently she is teaching Fundamentals of Art, 3 Dimensional Design, and AP Art History. She is also running the Web Design Club after school.


 


Home | Staff Directory | Welcome | Profile
Assignments | Links | Calendar | Gallery | E-mail Me

Posted : Monday, November 11, 2002 at 9:06 AM


Hall of Shame (page 7)

Below are more stories of families unjustly separated by the "system" without representation of counsel and/or a Jury of their peers. The starting page, with an index, is here. These people have volunteered their stories so that everyone can understand the true damage being done, and also, so those who may be experiencing your own personal "nightmare" may realize -- you are not alone!  We want you to here them in their own words. We can't vouch for the accuracy of these tales and we hope you will understand the bitterness and frustration you will hear in some of these.

Name: Lisa DiMarzo Duffus   Location: Charlotte, NC
Email Addr:
[email protected]

Children/Birth Date: DJ (8-25-93) and Tonia (2-10-95)

Date Separated: April 1999

I guess I must say if you don't have a lawyer because you can't afford a lawyer, you have already lost.  I am a mother of two beautiful babies . One day I came home to find my x husband had gained temporary custody and moved them to his girlfriends house . I was so sick because I hadn't known where they were all weekend (this was a Friday). I tried to get help from courts, police or anyone. No one in the State of North Carolina seemed to know where my babies were. In  shock I spent a weekend in a local motel with my mom as she had to feed me zanax to keep me calm and asleep. Any way, court came along and of course I represented my self and made less money than he . . . so he was awarded custody and all I get was two weeks in the summer for visitation . . . oh my God! I thought. I tried to steal my daughter in February of 2000 but was told by Salisbury, North Carolina police that I would go to jail if I didn't return her. I thought deeply about this and believe me she means more to me than any jail! So I was about to go to jail until I put my faith in my brother ...

Look I am sorry.  I was supposed to march this year with  Kids-Right at Syracuse, I got cold feet. But since then I have moved to NC to see my kids more. I thought things were going to be different.  I guessed wrong, anyway, he said, " If you move here you will see them more", actually that wasn't the case.  I am still going through a really hard time. I can't see them. Their dad won't talk to me on the phone .... how immature! Anyway,  he has remarried and has my children calling her mom, kills me to no end...  How can you see your children if the father lies and won't talk to the mother. I have had it and no one will help. Sometimes I think I should have just gone to jail to prove a darn point, my heart cannot take much more
 ... lonely without my kids in NC
 

Update: 2/5/02:

Well thank you for your help. Maybe this year I'll not chicken out and come to Syracuse. I have been working myself to near exhaustion , trying to pay for a lawyer , because the state of NC does not have legal aid for family court. They say only if you are in a shelter. so therefore , as this state has taken my kids unless I  find an attorney , I'm doomed.. well please get back to me when you can ...

Port Fairy (Belfast)
Old News Index
1852


This site created and provided by and, all rights reserved by

©Jenny Fawcett - Genseek

 

 

 

Australia.
The following index of names refers to people mentioned in Port Fairy, one of the earliest of Victoria's ports, and many immigrants/emigrants/ex convicts arrived through this port, before moving on to other places..
email email~Jenny Fawcett

Surname Firstname Identifier Field No
Duffas - James__________   local_________Belfast____________4
Duffas - James__________   mail__________Belfast___________ 6
Duffus - Paul___________    local____________________________

 

'Mother's' warning was not heeded

THEY WENT for prayer but were sprayed in bullets. And 'Mother' never saw it coming.

Maybe, if Devon Hutchinson, 44, Kenroy 'Trinity' Edwards and Michael Duffus had prayed for themselves yesterday they might still be alive today.

Or maybe if they had listened to 'Mother', Astorley McDermott's, sharp instructions to always "CALL ME before you come," they would have made their planned trip to Heathrow, London, safe and on-time.

"Mi always tell 'Chin', CALL ME! before you come. Don't come when mi not here because the area not so right," the reputed clairvoyant said. She keeps talking about the Lord and that she is doing His work as if reminding herself that she is still under his protection.

"Look what happen at mi gate, what going happen now? This is a big judgement right here so ah mi gate way," she said shaking her head. A red, white and blue flag is fluttering in her yard on a wooden post.

The bullet-riddled Silver Mark II is still parked at her gate. Inside is Hutchinson's lifeless body with the last expression of shock etched in his glassy eyes. Bullets are lodged in his head, throat and groin.

"Chin did always call mi and tell me when him was coming," said 'Mother' firmly in her red head wrap. "Him always call me, and him did call today but ah was coming from St. Thomas," said the woman. "Mi frighten when him tell mi say him at mi gate already and him never call me.

"When him tell me so now, is rush me a rush now a try come from St. Thomas, to catch him. When me reach now mi see this! Oh Jesus!"

Kenroy 'Trinity' Edwards, also called 'Chin' was perhaps in a hurry to get his prayer from 'Mother'.

He had "always" come to mother for prayer whenever he was about to "make a trip" and this prayer was "just for guidance". But today, he had come to 'Mother' early, so early he forgot the golden rule? "Always, CALL ME!"

'Mother', insists that she is not an obeah woman. "People who work obeah to do wicked things. I help people and I have whole heap of clients from Mexico to England," she says.

"And I help them. Some come to me with problems and I pray for them and if they feel like giving me something I accept it. I don't charge them. I just pray for them," she said.

Source:  The Virginian-Pilot and The Ledger-Star, Norfolk, VA
Date:  09/15/2002
Price:  $2.95
Document Size:  Medium (3 to 7 pages)
Document ID:  UU20020918170043012
Citation Information:  FINAL; Vol. 167, Issue: 179; FRONT Section
Author(s):  CATHERINE KOZAK THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Document Type:  Article
 
HISTORIAN CLEARS FOG OF LIGHTHOUSE LENS IN N.C. ; SAVIOR OF SHIPS WASN'T LOST, JUST MISUNDERSTOOD

ROANOKE ISLAND From Buxton to Washington to Tarboro to Townsville in North Carolina. Loaded onto barges, railroad cars and ships, in and out of war-torn towns and cities and ports. To New York to Paris to New York to Baltimore. All those places. All 6,000 pounds, all 1,000 pieces of precision glass prisms went more miles and survived more close calls than the average Civil War sailor.

The original 1st-order Fresnel lens of the original 1803 Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, long thought to have been lost to war or thieves, has been traced to where its journey started: on the Outer Banks.

Its remains have been found in a National Park Service climate- controlled museum storage facility on Roanoke Island.

"It's a tremendous find," said Jim Woodward, a Cleveland, Ohio, lighthouse lampist. "It's like a lost shipwreck."

After months of detective work by Raleigh-based historian, videographer and author Kevin Duffus, the mystery of the missing lens was solved last month in a dim room of the National Archives in Washington, D.C. The trail ended just 15 minutes before closing, when Duffus was about to leave after reading books of hand-written letters all day. Something made him decide to turn one more page. And there, finally, was the document that pulled the story together.

"I was walking on air," he recalled. "I was extremely excited - you don't get an opportunity to discover things anymore. It's an absolute gift to be able to do something like that."

The document was a letter written May 27, 1870, to an inspector in New York by the chairman of the federal Lighthouse Board. The letter ordered the return of the lens, which had been sent to Paris in 1868 for repairs and was being stored in New York, to Buxton for service in the new Cape Hatteras Lighthouse under construction.

"Sir, you will please send without unpacking to Gen. J.H. Simpson Light House Engineer, by inland water transportation to Baltimore, Md., the whole of the 1st order apparatus and fixtures from Henry Lepaute marked `Hatteras' 1 to 37, numbers and marks of cases, which was received Oct. 14, 1868, and inform Gen. Simpson when sent," it read.

As the decades passed and institutional memories faded, it became widely assumed that the lens sent back to Hatteras was a different one - not the original 1st-order Fresnel. But the letter proved the true origins of the lens, which had endured a remarkable odyssey during and after the Civil War, only to fall victim to vandalism and neglect in the late 20th century.

The 1st-order Fresnel, a breakthrough in technology at the time, was installed in the 1803 Cape Hatteras tower in 1854 as part of a general upgrade of all lighthouses.

"I've been able to find the truth. . . by piecing together almost a quiltwork of facts, by kind of boiling down the little bits of research I was able to find," Duffus said. "All along, it's been important to me to correct or clarify a lot of myths and legends that have been perpetuated over the years."

In the course of his research, Duffus found that the saga of the lens was far more than the story of a lost light. Letter after letter in the archives showed how vital lighthouses in the South were to Civil War efforts.

The Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, situated by the treacherous Diamond Shoals, was considered one of the most strategically important beacons to both the Confederacy and the Union.

The Confederacy gained control of the lighthouse in 1861 and ordered it turned off a year later. The lens was then carefully removed to keep it out of the hands of Union troops.

For a time during his search, Duffus said, he believed he had traced the missing lens to Raleigh, where several lenses were found by Union troops in April 1865. They had been wrapped in Colonial-era papers, some signed by Thomas Jefferson. But the distinctive Hatteras lens was not among them.

Instead, Duffus' research discovered, it had been secreted from Hatteras to Washington, N.C. When Union troops approached Washington looking for the lens, it was put on a steamboat with townspeople evacuating to Tarboro. From there, a Washington doctor shipped it by rail to Townsville in Granville County, where it was hidden.

In 1865, a Union garrison found the lens in Henderson, dismantled and stored in 44 pine boxes. Duffus, however, was not able to trace exactly how it got there.

The Union sent the lens to Norfolk by train, then shipped it to Staten Island, N.Y., where it was stored until 1867.

Its next destination was Paris, where it underwent repairs along with many other lighthouse lenses that had been removed across the South during the war. Finally, it was returned to New York and stored.

And there it stayed until the order came from the Lighthouse Board to send it to Baltimore, the depot for materials used to build the new Cape Hatteras beacon. Though the crate was marked "Hatteras," there was no reason for anyone to question its origins or history at the time, and no one did until Duffus started his research.

After the Civil War, a different lens had been reinstalled in the old Cape Hatteras light, which was later torn down. But engineers had decided against using that lens when the new tower was built.

The storied lens performed its duties in the second lighthouse until 1936, when severe erosion forced the Coast Guard to abandon the tower. During World War II, the lighthouse was used as a lookout post for German U-boats. After the war, and before the National Park Service acquired the lighthouse in 1949, the lens was vandalized, with many of its prisms taken as souvenirs. It was eventually replaced by a rotating airport beacon and put into storage.

Further damage was inflicted in 1987 while the lens was being kept at the Little Kinnakeet Lifesaving Station in Avon. Thieves broke through a chained gate, pried off a lock and stole three sections of lens, each frame holding 22 prisms. Investigators in 1988 recovered much of the lens in the marsh south of the station.

When the lens finally reached the climate-controlled storage facility at Roanoke Island, only about half of the prisms, many chipped and scarred, remained. Some of the bronze frames, picked clean, looked like toothless smiles.

Covered in a green patina, the frames are each stamped with a name and number. Each prism, ranging between 3 and 12 inches, was made to an exacting size and shape.

"You can see there's a slight bow, or curve, because this would have fit in a metal piece that was curving," said Steve Harrison, chief resource manager for the National Park Service Outer Banks Group, as he ran his finger along the edge of a prism. " When you put it in the frame, it had to be just right. It's pretty amazing."

The sea-foam-green prisms mirror surrounding images and reflect light at the same time. In lantern rooms with Fresnel lenses, dozens of rainbows dance on the walls when the sun hits the crystal prisms. As the lens revolves, the light captured from the prisms is concentrated and bounced through a bull's-eye panel, making the beam blink.

Some of the prisms taken from the Hatteras lens have been recovered, said Doug Stover, a cultural resources manager for the park service. Records show one was turned in in 1996 by an Illinois couple who found it in the sand at the base of the lighthouse in 1952.

A Buxton resident returned a piece found by one of his children in 1947 while playing in the sand by the lighthouse.

"If you decide not to display it, I would like to have it back, as it makes a good conversation piece," Jesse Stamey wrote in a 1960 letter to the park service. A section of the lens and its frame will be displayed at the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum, which is expected to be completed in Hatteras by 2004.

Joseph Schwarzer, the museum's executive director, said the display will show the lens portion as it looks today, a victim of the ravages of time in a salty, humid coastal climate. It will be part of an exhibit that will include a railing and deck removed from the lighthouse when it was restored in 1991.

"We looked at this stuff and said, `You know, we could put together a real nifty exhibit,' " Schwarzer said.

The park service has agreed to loan the artifacts to the museum for at least 10 years. If it wasn't for Duffus' persistence in tracking the location of the original 1st-order Fresnel lens of the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, Schwarzer said, the display would not have been nearly as captivating.

"It's just a remarkable job of research," he said. "This is probably the holy grail of lighthouse history."

Reach Catherine Kozak at 252-441-1711 or ckozak(AT)pilotonline.com

  Posted on Fri, Dec. 20, 2002

story:PUB_DESC

Goalie hopes to net a job as a firefighter
Duffus, who was on 1999-00 team, may play this weekend.

of The News-Sentinel
 

Recent Fort Wayne Komets signee Parris Duffus has walked into an adverse situation. But what he will face with the Komets this weekend will be nothing compared with what he will go up against if he is able to become a firefighter with the Fort Wayne Fire Department.

This will be the second tour of duty with Fort Wayne for the 11-year professional. Duffus played goaltender for the Komets in the 1999-00 season, the team's first in the United Hockey League. He enjoyed his time in Fort Wayne so much he decided to make the city his home.

Kelly Hurd was also a member of the 1999-00 team. Hurd retired and became a member of the Fort Wayne Fire Department in 2001. It was Duffus' connection with Hurd that led him to start the process of becoming a firefighter.

"He told me some great things about it," Duffus said. "As soon as I heard that, I was sold on it.

"It's a job where you can be a part of the community and help serve the community. I think people that become firefighters have really good hearts and are really good people. To be able to go to work and be surrounded by solid guys, I think it's kind of like hockey."

He is several steps along in becoming a firefighter, but the process is intricate. Duffus is waiting to hear if he can proceed to the next step. Some future steps include psychological tests, physical tests and a final OK from the city.

Duffus' responsibility is hockey, for now. The Komets had to put goalie Pokey Reddick on the 10-day injured reserve list because of a stomach virus. That left the team without a second goaltender for this weekend's games, and Fort Wayne didn't want to put 42-year-old equipment manager Joe Franke on the spot again.

Duffus signed with the team without playing this season, but he could see action right away.

"Parris, more than likely, might see a game this weekend. We'll play it by ear," Fort Wayne coach Greg Puhalski said. "He hasn't played at all. That's why it was important for him to get started right away. (Tuesday) was his first practice. I know he's excited about the opportunity here. You never know, it could work itself out to be more than a week. It could be two weeks, a month or the rest of the year. A lot of that will be dependent on how he plays."

If Duffus does play, he will face some of the UHL's best teams this weekend.

The Komets visit Missouri tonight, and the River Otters lead the league in points with 35. Saturday, Fort Wayne hosts Quad City, which has 30 points. Sunday, the Komets host Rockford, which has 35 points and is second in the league in scoring with 101 goals.

Duffus has tried to stay in good playing shape.

"I run. I try to keep my cardio up," he said. "It will take a couple of days, two or three days, or maybe a little bit longer, to get in the groove.

"I've done it for a long time. I think sometimes when you might be a little tired or not in top playing shape, that's when your mind takes over and experience takes over."

In other words, Duffus will be pushing his limitations on the ice. Pushing his limitations is something he also hopes to do as a firefighter.

"It's challenging," Duffus said. "It will definitely be a hard job, and it will definitely push me to do different things. That's great. You definitely have to push yourself in life."
 

Posted on Mon, Dec. 23, 2002

story:PUB_DESC

Finding their groove - The Komets pick up two wins on home ice and move into a first-place tie in the UHL's Eastern Conference.

of The News-Sentinel
 

A sweat-drenched Parris Duffus stood in the Fort Wayne Komets' dressing room at the Memorial Coliseum on Sunday. He had a puck in one hand and a marker in the other. He quickly scrawled his name on the puck and gave it to his wife, who waited outside the Komets' dressing room.

In many ways, it was like watching an artist signing a canvas after finishing a painting.

Because Duffus was playing his first game of the 2002-03 season Sunday, he was like an artist who was given a blank canvas. Duffus made the most it and created a near-masterpiece. He stopped 27 of 29 shots to lead Fort Wayne to a 5-2 win over the visiting Rockford IceHogs.

The win, coupled with Saturday's 4-1 home win over Quad City and a Sunday loss by the Adriondack Ice Hawks, left the Komets tied with the Ice Hawks for first place in the United Hockey League's Eastern Conference with 37 points. Fort Wayne entered the weekend in fourth place.

"It felt good," Duffus said. "Our team played well defensively. Our penalty killers played well, and we played good team defense. They had two or three pretty good chances, but past that, it was a pretty routine game. It was a good first game for me."

Duffus may have faced 29 shots, but they weren't all point-blank chances. Fort Wayne's defense saw to that.

"When we play good team defense, I think we complement the goalies, and I think the goalies have complemented our team," Komets coach Greg Puhalski said. "They might not see a lot of shots for five- or six-minute stretches, but it's important for them to keep their focus and come up with the saves when we need them."

Duffus' performance followed that plan. He was up to the task most of the time.

"The butterflies go away pretty fast," he said. "It had been a long time. I just wanted to have a good game. I didn't want to give up a goal early or anything like that. I've played a lot of hockey for a lot of years. It's all in your head. You remember how to play."

Duffus last played in Russia, and it happened so long ago he wasn't quite sure when it was. Duffus thought it was in the last week of March or the the first week of April.

Ironically, the goalie who opposed Duffus was also making his season debut. The IceHogs' Ryan McIntosh began this season in the camp of Greenville of the East Coast Hockey League, but bounced around trying to make some independent teams in Texas before signing with Rockford on Dec. 11.

The similarities between Duffus and McIntosh ended there thanks to the Komets' offense.

Fort Wayne center Bobby Stewart scored the first goal of the game and netted the go-ahead goal 15 minutes, 57 seconds into the second period. Right wing Ryan Severson and center Colin Chaulk added insurance goals in the third period.

Stewart finished with two goals to give him six goals in his last five games, while Severson finished with a goal and two assists to give him three goals and three assists in five games.

"I don't think I've been playing any better or any worse," said Stewart of his recent stretch of games. "We went through a little stretch where we weren't scoring. If you look, I've been consistent with the amount of shots I've had each game all year. Maybe I'm paying the price a little more and being where the action is instead of playing on the perimeter."

Practically all the Komets have been where the action is as of late.

Sunday's win was the team's fourth in a row overall and third in a row on Memorial Coliseum ice. This is the first time the team has won three straight home games all season.

"This weekend was obviously huge," Severson said. "We've figured out we can win at home. We've passed that mental block. We're playing together as a team and coming up with some big wins here."

"This weekend was unreal," said right wing Kevin Kotyluk who scored a goal Sunday. "We got three wins which was nice, but the big thing besides the wins was how well we played. We played to win games. We need to play to win games all the time."

 

 

 
 
PREP FOOTBALL ROUNDUP: VILLAGE CHRISTIAN PULLS UPSET
Source:  Los Angeles Daily News
Date:  11/03/2002
Price:  $2.95
Document Size:  Short (1 or 2 pages)
Document ID:  IY20021106040035834
Subject(s):  SPORTS
 
Citation Information:  FINAL; Vol. 167, Issue: 213; Sports Section
Author(s):  Daily News
Document Type:  Article
 

Jason Christensen threw two touchdown passes to William Pena on halfback option plays Saturday as Village Christian of Sun Valley upset previously undefeated Brentwood of Los Angeles 17-7 in an Alpha League opener at Kennedy High of Granada Hills. Christensen's first touchdown pass went for 17 yards in the second quarter, giving Village Christian (5-3, 1-0) a 10-7 halftime lead. His next went 24 yards with 4:54 remaining.

Then, Christensen, who also rushed for 75 yards on 15 carries, intercepted a Nick Henry pass with 1:55 remaining to seal the win.

Michael Templeton rushed for 76 yards and Jake Hagedorn completed completed 6 of 17 passes for 90 yards for Village Christian.

- Jack Pollon

--L.A. Baptist 28, Whittier Christian 7: R.J. Johnson passed for two touchdowns and ran for the two more as the visiting Knights of North Hills won an Alpha League game at La Habra High.

Johnson (9 of 23 for 159 yards) completed four passes for 83 yards to Eric Benny, including a 19-yard scoring pass.

With L.A. Baptist leading by seven, Kiki Duffus returned the second-half kickoff 63 yards to set up a 1-yard touchdown run by Johnson.

- Howard Abrams

--Salesian 7, St. Genevieve 6: Despite compiling 130 yards in penalties, visiting Salesian of Los Angeles (3-5, 1-2) made its extra point to edge St. Genevieve of Panorama City in a Santa Fe League game at at Poly High of Sun Valley.

Both teams scored in the second quarter. Benjamin Nunez caught an 8-yard touchdown pass from George Guerrero for Salesian. Richard Cisneros caught a 7-yard scoring pass from Jesse Reyes for St. Genevieve (3-5, 0-2), but the the extra point was blocked.

- Nathan Brown

--Lucerne Valley 40, Malibu 0: Jeremy Kent had a team-high 100 yards rushing on 24 carries and Karsten Demers added 53 yards passing for host Malibu (2-4-1) in a nonleague loss at home.

- Jason David

--Eagle Rock 38, Belmont 13: John Paul Yniguez rushed for 164 yards and three touchdowns for the host Eagles (6-2, 2-1), who broke open a close game with 21 fourth-quarter points in a Northern League win.

Carlos Celis completed 9 of 17 passes for 174 yards, including a 44-yard touchdown pass to Gilbert Jaramillo and another 40-yard pass to Jaramillo (five catches for 116 yards) that set up a 3-yard scoring run by Ryan Paul (10 carries for 51 yards).

- Alex Valladares

--Rio Mesa 42, Pacifica 6 Rio Mesa of Oxnard lost three players to injury but dominated host Pacifica of Oxnard in a Pacific View League game.

Rio Mesa (3-5, 2-1) was dealt a painful blow early in the first half, when junior quarterback Brian DiDomizio went out with a knee injury. His injury forced junior running back Max Barroso to take the snaps. Barroso completed 2 of 5 passes for 20 yards but really hurt Pacifica (0-8, 0-3) on the ground with 11 carries for 111 yards including a 42-yard touchdown run.

- Rob MacIntyre

--Cantwell-Sacred Heart 50, Bell-Jeff 22: Brenden Doyle completed 18 of 40 passes for 300 yards and three touchdowns for host Bell- Jeff of Burbank in a Santa Fe League game.

Derek Leiphardt caught six passes for 97 yards and Clarence Viray caught eight passes for 125 yards, including scoring passes of 30 and 10 yards, for Bell-Jeff (4-4, 1-1), which became the first team to score more than eight points against the Cantwell (8-0, 3-0) defense. Cantwell had allowed just 14 points in seven previous games.

- Jason Tarr

--Ontario Christian 51, Vasquez 0: Kyle Jensen completed 15 of 26 passes for 94 yards and rushed for 48 yards for Vasquez of Acton in a nonleague loss at home.

- Jack Pollon

--Alemany 14, Harvard-Westlake 0: Sergio Lopez had a career-high 191 yards rushing on 31 carries for Alemany of Mission Hills (2-6, 1- 2) in a Mission League win at Harvard-Westlake of Studio City (4-4, 1-2).

- George Vranau

--Faith Baptist 60, Villanova Prep 13: Anthony Petterson totaled 254 yards of offense and had a hand in seven touchdowns as the Contenders of Canoga Park (6-2, 4-1) won in Ojai to remain tied for the Heritage League lead with one game to play.

Petterson, who passed for 212 yards, had scoring passes of 8, 22, 46, 24 and 2 yards, and ran for touchdowns of 2 and 8 yards. Henry Chung contributed 248 all-purpose yards, scoring twice, and Juan Bernardo contributed 15 tackles for Faith Baptist.

--Grace Brethren 58, Fairmont 6: Lance Campbell rushed for 86 yards on four carries, and Jash Flora added 84 rushing yards on six carries and a 75-yard kickoff-return for a score as the Lancers of Simi Valley (5-3) defeated Fairmont Prep of Anaheim (2-5) at Moorpark High.

- Dave Keefer

--Flintridge Prep 17, Chadwick 6: The victory left host Flintridge Prep of La Canada (4-4, 3-0) alone in first place in the Prep League.

Source:  Sports Argus (Birmingham, England)
Date:  10/19/2002
Price:  $2.95
Document Size:  Very Short (129 words)
Document ID:  UU20021024010019800
Citation Information:  (ISSN: 1357-390X) Pg. 36
Document Type:  Article
 
NON-LEAGUE FOOTBALL: Town seventh heaven.

 

TIPTON Town have just reeled off a magnificent seven straight wins to take them joint-second with Westfields in the West Midlands League, writes Nick Pullen. Now manager John Hill believes his side can launch a determined challenge for honours this season after making an indifferent start.

Hill has recruited well this season, bringing in full-back Darren Beddows from Lye, Wednesfield pair Mazir Iqbal and Hardip Dhanda plus James Corns, who was previously at Ludlow.

He has also added Andy Blakeney from Bridgnorth Town, much-travelled nonleague striker Adie Edwards and versatile Carl Duffus from Shifnal Town, who is equally at home in attack or central defence.

Tipton have also brought in both Tony Williams and Dave Parrish to coach the side, and Hill insisted: 'They've fitted in an absolute treat.'

 

Motorcycling: Tragic death mars Dundrod meeting.

Source:  The News Letter (Belfast, Northern Ireland)
Date:  08/19/2002
Price:  $2.95
Document Size:  Very Short (516 words)
Document ID:  UU20020820180035784
Citation Information:  (ISSN: 0307-5923) Pg. 24
Document Type:  Article
 

WELSHMAN Ian Lougher, who now resides at Dromore, Co Down, was man of the meeting at the Stannifer Snoddons 80th anniversary Ulster Grand Prix meeting.

Lougher also set the fastest lap ever recorded at a British Isles circuit when he set an incredible speed of 127.820mph on the fourth lap of the main Superbike race.

But the meeting was overshadowed by the tragic death of 31 year old Gary Jess from Moira.

There was joy for the TAS Suzuki Team as they took victory in the four main races with David Jefferies taking the opening Production race on the 1000cc Suzuki machine.

Local rider Adrian Archibald finished second on the CD Suzuki after pushing Jefferies hard in the early stages. In fact, Jefferies had to smash the Production lap record with a speed of 126.341mph in his effort to break away from Archibald to win by nine seconds.

Lougher had to settle for third ahead of Scotsman Iain Duffus, Welshman Jason Griffiths and Manxman Richard Quayle.

After a lengthy delay while medics attended the ill-fated Gary Jess, the main Superbike race was reduced to five laps.

Leader on the opening lap was Lougher ahead of local riders Richard Britton, Ryan Farquhar, Brian Gardiner and Archibald.

On the penultimate lap, Lougher set the new British Isles record lap of 127.820mph in his effort to extend his lead.

Although Britton, Archibald and Farquhar also lapped the 7.7-mile Dundrod circuit at over 127mph, they were left to battle for the other podium positions.

Two more 127mph laps on their final circuit saw Britton taking second by 0.08 seconds from Archibald, with Farquhar just missing out a podium spot by another 0.08 seconds.

Gardiner settled for fifth ahead of Griffiths, Darran Lindsay, Duffus, Keith Nicholls and Quayle.

In the second Superbike race, sponsored by Road Racing Ireland, Lougher had an easy nine-second victory over Britton after both pre-race favourites Archibald and Jefferies failed to finish. In fact, Jefferies even failed to start after crashing out uninjured on the warm-up lap, Archibald retired with clutch trouble.

New Zealander Bruce Anstey pipped local Team McAdoo rider Farquhar by the narrowest 0.01 seconds. Gardiner was fifth again, ahead of Alex Donaldson, Nigel Davies, Paul Hunt, Trevor Ferguson and the best UGP newcomer Chris Heath.

Lougher completed his hat-trick when he just managed to pip Duffus in the Regal 600 race. They had a race-long duel throughout the five laps but it was Lougher who managed to take the victory after almost breaking the lap record on the last lap.

Another Suzuki machine in the capable hands of Lindsay, took third after a fierce battle with Farquhar and Britton.

Last years 600 winner, Archibald, finished a disappointing ninth behind Nicholls, Jefferies and Adrian McFarland.

Lougher also took the Regal International Championship and pounds 1,000 bonus following on from his earlier North West 200 victory back in May.

CAPTION(S):

HAT-TRICK HERO: Ian Lougher 1000cc TAS Suzuki stays in front to claim his treble Ulster Grand Prix race win in the Road Racing Ireland Superbike Race race.

Source:  PR Newswire
Date:  09/05/2002 12:56
Price:  $1.00
Document Size:  Short (1 or 2 pages)
Document ID:  FD20020905690000450
Subject(s):  PRN; Arkansas; Art; California; Capitol; Children; Communications; Corporate; Dance; Diabetes; Disease; Florida; Hosting; Ireland; Massachusetts; Michigan; Museum; Music; New Jersey; New York; Ohio; Online; Pennsylvania; President; Programming; Rhode Island; Sculpture; Texas; University; Writing
 
Document Type:  Press releases
 

 

Ten Young Artists With Disabilities 'Expressing Freedom' at The Smithsonian -- Volkswagen of America, Inc. and VSA Arts Will Present $25,000 in Cash Awards

Story Filed: Thursday, September 05, 2002 12:56 PM EST

WASHINGTON, Sep 5, 2002 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- VSA arts announced today that ten artists, ages 17 to 25, each with a disability, have been selected to exhibit their work at the S. Dillon Ripley Center, Smithsonian Institution from September 26 through October 27, 2002. Each artist will also receive a cash award from Volkswagen of America, Inc.

Jean Kennedy Smith, former Ambassador to Ireland and founder of VSA arts as Very Special Arts in 1974, emphasized the timely importance of "Expressing Freedom." "These celebrated young artists demonstrate perfectly the value of the arts as a universal language. There is no barrier that can't be broken- down. That's a powerful message anytime, but especially today."

In February of this year, VSA arts and Volkswagen of America, Inc. launched "Expressing Freedom," a call for art which encourages young artists with disabilities to contemplate freedom in their lives. The resulting 131 submissions demonstrated that freedom does not always refer to an external state but, as reflected by an abundance of self-portraits received, can be more intimate and personal.

The adjudication panel of experts reviewed the 131 entries and the ten finalists will be honored at a September 24th reception on Capitol Hill. The exhibit formally opens at the Ripley Center on September 26th.

Beth Ziebarth, director of the Smithsonian Institution Accessibility Program said, "We at the Smithsonian Institution are pleased to celebrate the talents of young artists with disabilities by hosting the 'Expressing Freedom' exhibition. Collaborating with VSA arts on this and future projects is of benefit not only for our programming staff but more importantly for Smithsonian visitors."

 

    The adjudicators for "Expressing Freedom" were:

Dr. Jonathan P. Binstock, Curator of Contemporary Art, Corcoran Gallery of Art

    Ms. Phyllis Rosenzweig, Curator of Works on Paper, Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution, Mr. Chris Bradley, Vice President-Creative Director, Arnold Worldwide,    Mr. William Newman, Artist and Educator

Matthew Krawcheck from Coral Gables, Florida is the "Expressing Freedom" grand prize awardee. Matthew is hearing impaired and when asked to provide a statement about freedom he wrote, "I live in a world in which spoken language is muted and indistinct. Visual art gave me the freedom to communicate with intensity and precision that broke through the frustration of acquiring language." Matthew will receive a $10,000 cash award, which he plans to use this year for tuition at the Kansas City Art Institute in Arkansas.

The first prize award of $5,000 goes to Bill Ferguson of The Woodlands, Texas who is a first year student at the Ringling School of Art and Design in Sarasota, Florida. The second award of $3,000 went to Dana Liebermann of Philadelphia. Dana is a student at New York University. Seven Awards of Excellence will be given to Ailson Carvalho (Boston, Massachusetts), Gianna Marzilli (Rhode Island), Carrie Wheeler (Michigan), Ashley Youkilis (Ohio), Samantha Maggio (Pennsylvania), Justin Duffus (California), and Timothy Batten (New Jersey.) Each of the seven winners will receive a $1,000 cash award.

Some of the disabilities represented are blindness, deafness, developmental disorders, Asperger's syndrome, Hodgkin's disease, diabetes, multiple sclerosis and learning disabilities.

Soula Antoniou, acting president of VSA arts said, "'Expressing Freedom' is the mission of VSA arts. Programs like this, which provide support and encouragement, offer life changing opportunities for young artists. The partnership that has been forged between VSA arts and Volkswagen of America has resulted in an unprecedented cash award going to benefit young artists. It is this kind of relationship that makes it possible for us to serve our constituents to the fullest."

"Part of the VSA arts mission is to strengthen the human spirit, thereby improving the quality of life for these young artists," said Steve Keyes, Volkswagen director of corporate communications. "Volkswagen is proud to support and share in this endeavor."

VSA arts promotes the arts as a way to enrich the lives of 6.5 million children and young people with disabilities. Through its affiliates in 40 states and 60 countries, VSA arts encourages the arts for everyone through programs in the visual arts, music, dance and creative writing. For more information about VSA arts or events scheduled through an affiliate, please call Stephanie Moore or Tanya Travers at 202-628-2800 or visit the website at http://www.vsarts.org . To view the Expressing Freedom online please visit the exhibit at http://www.vsarts.org/gallery/exhibits/vw/index.html .

Founded in 1955, Volkswagen of America, Inc. is headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Volkswagen A.G. As America's top-selling European brand, Volkswagen markets a full line of vehicles through a network of some 500 dealers in the United States.

 
Mold Misery Brings Homeowners, Insurers, Builders to Court

 

  Simone Sommer knew she had a problem when she went to get a pair of her son's shoes out of a closet in their Greensboro home and found them covered with fuzzy blue-green mold.

 


 

Source:  News & Observer
Date:  08/20/2002
Price:  $2.95
Document Size:  Medium (3 to 7 pages)
Document ID:  UU20020822110002771
Subject(s):  Insurance
Insurance industry
 
Author(s):  Richard Stradling


 

Mold Misery Brings Homeowners, Insurers, Builders to Court

Simone Sommer knew she had a problem when she went to get a pair of her son's shoes out of a closet in their Greensboro home and found them covered with fuzzy blue-green mold.

"They were like what cream cheese looks like after you leave it out a few days," Sommer said.

The extent of the problem, though, became clear only when a contractor cut through the back wall of the closet to reveal a mat of black, slimy mold, the result of a water heater leak Sommer fixed months earlier. She and her 14-year-old son, Josh, blame the mold for a series of ailments, including nosebleeds, headaches and asthma. Driven from their home, they are suing their insurance company for allowing the mold to spread, causing as much as $250,000 in damage.

The tumult over toxic mold, which has made headlines across the country, has arrived in North Carolina. Some say the handful of cases surfacing in the state signal a new health crisis that may already afflict thousands. Others say they'll lead to unwarranted hysteria that will enrich a handful of lawyers and their clients.

Mold in the walls between new $300,000 townhouses in North Raleigh's Brier Creek forced the builder, Toll Brothers, to begin ripping out and replacing the walls this month.

A group of Triangle lawyers who have banded together to represent mold victims has received 1,000 calls from prospective clients across the state in the past year. In one of their cases, a Watauga County man is suing General Motors, claiming that mold in his Cadillac SUV coated his sinuses and made him sick.

State health officials field 40 to 50 calls a week from people worried about mold in their homes, said Ron Howell, an industrial hygienist with the state Division of Public Health.

"It's a real hot topic," Howell said.

Companies that sell homeowners insurance have watched mold claims and lawsuits mushroom nationally and have begun to limit mold coverage in North Carolina. The industry persuaded state Insurance Commissioner Jim Long to cap homeowner's insurance coverage for mold at $5,000, and only if the cause of the mold is also covered.

Meanwhile, home builders fear that they'll increasingly be forced to pay for costly repairs when mold crops up.

The mold scare has blown up so fast that homeowners often don't know how to respond.

To tell or not to tell?

Townhouse owners in Brier Creek are torn about whether to talk publicly about what may lurk in their walls, for fear their homes will lose value. According to city building permits, Toll Brothers is spending an estimated $100,000 to fix 10 townhouses in a section where it has sold about 35.

"We've decided to let Toll answer the questions, only because we're trying to protect our investments," said townhouse owner Marlene Kearney.

Toll Brothers isn't eager for publicity, either. Officials at Brier Creek referred questions to company headquarters outside Philadelphia, which issued a one-sentence statement: "When the company became aware of a problem, we acted quickly and diligently to address it and to minimize the inconvenience for our clients."

But mold has turned a few homeowners into activists, including Sommer, a family physician with a master's in public health. She has begun to speak out about what she considers the insurance industry's betrayal of its customers and to offer advice to other homeowners who think they have a mold problem.

"The prevalence of this problem, in my opinion, is greater than stucco, asbestos, radon and lead combined," she said. "If someone has indoor plumbing, someone has a potential problem with mold."

Mold is everywhere.

Scientists have found more than 1,000 different varieties inside U.S. homes, including those that grow in bathtubs and refrigerators without harming most people.

Mold thrives with moisture and "food," such as wood, paper or stale bread. It can hide in walls, under carpets and in crawl spaces -- anywhere a leaky pipe or other source of moisture gets it started.

Like other fungi, such as mushrooms, molds reproduce by releasing microscopic spores into the air. The spores can produce symptoms resembling hay fever in people with allergies, bring on asthma attacks and cause respiratory infections in those with weakened immune systems.

Teachers and students at Wake County and Chapel Hill-Carrboro schools blamed mold for a rash of allergies and other respiratory problems in recent years. Both districts had to spend millions of dollars tracking down and fixing leaky pipes and roofs.

No one knows for sure why mold has suddenly become such a big deal.

Some say today's more tightly built homes trap moisture and mold spores that feed on the cellulose in wallboard and other building materials. Others say people have become more aware of indoor air quality and are starting to make connections between mold and illness.

Still others blame scary news stories and opportunistic lawyers.

"There is this very aggressive trial bar that wants to make this their next moneymaking line of litigation," said P.J. Crowley, vice president of the Insurance Information Institute, a New York-based organization sponsored by the insurance industry.

Most attention falls on toxic molds, such as stachybotrys and aspergillus, that release toxins into the air along with the spores.

Some believe toxins from molds cause nosebleeds, memory loss, disorientation and other neurological problems, but the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention caution that there's no proof yet.

There is good circumstantial evidence, though, said Eugene Cole, a professor of environmental health and infectious disease at Brigham Young University and a former researcher at the Research Triangle Institute. Years of experience with farmers and other workers exposed to mold toxins in corn and other crops shows that they do make people sick. Scientists lack ironclad proof, Cole said, "because we can't experiment with human beings."

Uncertainty about mold's health effects hasn't prevented some high-profile lawsuits.

Television personality Ed McMahon sued his insurance company for $20 million this spring, claiming that mold in his Beverly Hills home made him sick and killed his dog. Erin Brockovich, the environmental crusader portrayed by Julia Roberts in the movie about her, sued the builder of her Los Angeles-area home over mold. But the case that frightens insurance companies the most originated in Dripping Springs, Texas, where a leaky pipe spawned a mold infestation in the walls of Melinda Ballard's 22-room mansion. Ballard sued her insurance company for not responding to the water damage and won $32 million.

"My house is literally falling down," said Ballard, who moved out.

"Once the appeals are resolved, we'll have to bulldoze it."

Like Sommer, Ballard has become a crusader, pressing government and insurers to protect homeowners from mold. She has testified before Congress and founded a group called Policyholders of America, which as of last February identified nearly 16,000 mold-related insurance claims nationwide since 1999, including about 500 in North Carolina.

Neither the state nor the insurance industry tracks mold-related claims in North Carolina. But insurers here look with alarm to Texas, which has seen a flood of mold claims in part because insurance policies in the state cover damage caused by slow leaks that isn't covered elsewhere. Mold has cost Texas insurers more than $1 billion over the last two years, according to industry estimates.

"We see some trends countrywide," said Ray Evans, general manager for the N.C. Rate Board, a nonprofit association that represents the insurance industry. "Mold claims have gone from a somewhat sporadic occurrence to, by some accounts, as much as $150 million a month."

Evans and the rate board sought the new rate cap in North Carolina.

Without it, he said, insurers would have to raise rates to cover mold claims.

Kimberly Wilson, a Raleigh lawyer who specializes in mold cases, counters that the cap is unfair to homeowners. "It's something that can be financially devastating for a family," she said. "That's why people have bought homeowners insurance."

Wilson is pursuing three mold cases now, including two in the Triangle that she says she can't talk about yet. She says her firm, Duffus and Melvin, has to be choosy, because mold cases require expensive tests and expert testimony from scientists and doctors that the firm must pay for if the case is a loser. "A bad mold case could ruin a firm," she said.

But Wilson predicts the number of mold lawsuits will grow.

"People are starting to make the connection," she said. "They know it's a problem. Mold does not kill people, but it can make your life miserable."

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT MOLD

QUESTION: What is mold?

ANSWER: Mold consists of fungi that grow in moist places, out of direct sunlight. They reproduce by releasing microscopic spores which are found everywhere. More than 1,000 types of mold have been found in U.S. homes.

Q: What health problems does mold cause?

A: Most mold is harmless to most people. Mold spores cause hay fever symptoms in people with allergies and can cause respiratory infections in people with weakened immune systems. The spores also can bring on asthma attacks in people who already have it.

Q: What about toxic mold?

A: Under some conditions, some mold releases microscopic toxins that have been linked to a host of ailments, such as dizziness, nosebleeds, memory loss and headaches.

Scientists don't agree on whether mold produces enough of these toxins to make people sick.

Q: How much mold is harmful?

A: No one knows how much mold will make someone sick.

People are likely to respond differently to mold.

Neither the state nor federal government regulates mold, but Congress is considering a bill that would require federal agencies to identify harmful mold strains and determine how much people can safely breathe.

Q: How can you tell if you've got a mold problem?

A: Mold growing on walls, shoes and other surfaces is an obvious sign. A musty smell may indicate mold hidden in walls, crawl spaces or carpets. Mold is likely any place that is damp or has been damaged by water.

Q: Should I have my home tested for mold?

A: If the mold is obvious, testing may not be necessary.

The state public health department has information on hiring mold consultants and contractors at http://www.epi.state.nc.us/epi/oii/mold/consultant.html.

Q: How do you get rid of mold?

A: Scrub mold off hard surfaces with bleach and water and dry completely; then eliminate the moisture that caused the mold to grow. Moldy porous materials, such as carpet, ceiling tiles and wallboard, may need to be discarded. People should avoid breathing in mold or mold spores. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has more information on cleaning mold at http://www.epa.gov/iaq/molds/moldguide.html

Q: How do you prevent mold from growing in the first place?

A: Prevent moisture. Fix leaking pipes and clean up water spills. Make sure gutters and air-conditioning drain lines remain clear. Keep indoor humidity low (between 30 and 50 percent) by using air conditioners and dehumidifiers as needed, using vent fans in bathrooms, kitchens and laundry rooms and opening windows when possible.

Source:  The Pantagraph Bloomington, IL
Date:  08/13/2002
Price:  $2.95
Document Size:  Very Short (222 words)
Document ID:  JE20020815010013266
Citation Information:  Vol. 167, Issue: 156
Document Type:  Article
 

Claims illegal tobacco supply dwindling

The Australian Taxation Office says it has identified strong signs illegal tobacco or chop-chop is getting harder to obtain on the illicit market.

The deputy commissioner for excise, Paul Duffus, says officers have intercepted more than 200 bails of chop-chop in far north Queensland during the past month.

He says with more than 100 officers working to stamp out the product across Australia, prices are on the rise.

"The price of chop chop has increased over the last 12 months or so. [It has] gone from around $80 a kilo to possibly around $130 a kilo, which would suggest to me that it's starting to become a little bit more difficult to buy," he said.

"But having said that we have been very successful over the last month and our activity will continue until we deal with the risk."

 

Deaths

Dorothy A. Collins HEYWORTH - Dorothy A. Collins, 75, of Heyworth died at 10:50 a.m. Sunday (Aug. 11, 2002) at OSF St. Joseph Medical Center, Bloomington.

Her funeral will be at 10 a.m. Wednesday at Calvert-Belangee- Bruce Funeral Home, Heyworth, the Rev. Vernon Oakley and the Rev. Kurt Flora officiating. Burial will be in Randolph Township Cemetery, Heyworth. Visitation will be from 5 to 8 p.m. today at the funeral home.

Memorials may be made to the family.

Mrs. Collins was born Sept. 9, 1926, at Bloomington, the daughter of Louis and Agnes Duffus Murphy. She married Gus Collins in 1951 in Tennessee. He died in July 1970.

Survivors include one son, Danny Lee Murphy, El Paso; two grandchildren, Lucas Murphy, Bloomington; and Shane Murphy, Pekin; one great-grandchild; one sister, Betty Allison, Normal; and Terry W. Smith, a special friend with whom she had made her home for the past 31 years.

Her parents, one brother and one sister preceded her in death.

Dorothy attended the Heyworth Christian Church, Heyworth. She was an employee of the Illinois House in Bloomington for 51 years. She also worked at the VFW in Heyworth, catering bingo every Saturday night for the past 15 years. Her three big loves were crocheting, bingo and her dog Biscuit. She will be sorely missed by her family and friends.

Aun: Deer hunters open up

Sunday, December 15, 2002

BY FRED J. AUN
For the Star-Ledger

Blairstown resident Mike Kitchen was just one of many hunters without a deer to check in Monday morning at Lyle Smith's Big K in Warren County. But at least Kitchen's foray into the frigid woods yielded a funny story.

As do many hunters these days, Kitchen carries a 2-way radio. With the device he can keep in touch with his hunting buddies and -- it turns out -- listen in when the lighter side of hunting makes an appearance. Standing in the pool-room of the Big K, as fellow deer-seekers shook off the cold with hot food and coffee, Kitchen pointed to the walkie-talkie and grinned. A few hours earlier, as he waited for the buck that never showed, Kitchen heard his friend attempting to contact his wife, Valerie, who was also hunting. The interaction went something like this, recalled Kitchen:

Husband: "Val?"

No reply.

Husband: "Hey Valerie?"

More silence, followed by the crack of a gunshot.

Wife (after a pause): "What?"

Kitchen said the woman didn't blame distraction by her husband for the shot that went astray, at least not publicly.

Most hunters interviewed opening day at the Big K said they planned on returning to the woods. Colin Duffus of Englewood wasn't one of them. He said the 4-pointer he bagged at about 7:50 a.m. on state land will probably do it for him this year.

Duffus was perky as he ordered a bowl of chicken-noodle soup and a cheese-and-mayo sandwich from the busy Big K kitchen. He wasn't quite as chipper four hours earlier while shivering in the forest near White Lake.

"It was cold," he said. "Very, very cold. At about a quarter of eight, my feet were frozen to my ankles, so I took my boots off to put warmers in them. Then I found out only one of the warmers worked. By 8:45, I was getting real restless. My knees were knocking."

The cold was temporarily forgotten five minutes later when he spotted something brown moving through the nearby cedars. Duffus stuck his barrel through a 4-inch-wide hole in the branches and "let her rip." Dragging the 100-pound buck out of the woods didn't do much to warm his cold feet, but that's why Big K sells chicken-noodle soup.

A group from the Four Seasons Rod and Gun Club also mentioned the Arctic air that greeted them Monday morning. "It was so cold, there were icicles in the tree stand, said Dominick Tomba of Jersey City. There were also lots of deer tracks through the snow, but about the only signs of life seen by the Four Seasons crew were "guys yelling from tree stands," added Joe Curcio of Toms River.

Guess it depended on what part of the county you chose. John Mazor of Cedar Grove showed up at Big K with a 10-pointer taken from a tree stand in Independence Township. It lay atop two other bucks snagged by Mazor's friends.

Meanwhile, state Division of Fish and Wildlife spokesman Al Ivany was helping with the deer check-in at The Owl's Nest in Pohatcong. He said a final tally of deer taken during 6-day firearm season was not yet available, but it seemed to be a good year for hunting, even with Wednesday's rain and ice storm.

"Opening day was an exceptionally busy day," said Ivany. "We did more than 300 deer. It was steady all day, non-stop."

Fish and Wildlife representatives attend a number of check-in spots on opening day to gather important biological information about the harvested whitetails. Based on what he saw, Ivany said the deer appear strong.

"We have a very healthy deer herd," he said. " We had some real exceptional bucks come in. A 12-pointer was the biggest and there were several tens. They had thick antler beams and long tines. It seems the state's management strategies are relieving the stress on bucks."

Fish and Wildlife says there are about 70,000 deer hunters in New Jersey. With a group of that size, there's bound to be some unhappiness but Ivany said he heard no complaints from the opening day gang at The Owl's Nest.

"Everybody really seemed to have a good day," he said. "We had a real nice group of people coming through. It's nice to see the return of winter on opening day once in a while."

However, there was one complaint, voiced by Ivany himself:

"I almost froze to death, by the time I got to go home."

MINI MIRACLEBABIES

16:00 - 27 December 2002

It's a magical time of year for any child. But for these tiny treasures and their families the festive season is extra special.

Each one of them was born early - some months before their tiny bodies were ready to face the outside world.

Wee Ellon smasher Ethan Nicholson faced a sea of wrapping paper on his first Christmas - thanks to sackfuls of presents from doting relatives.

But for proud parents, Catriona, and Donnie, the smile on the face of their ten-month-old ball of energy was the best gift of all.

Ethan weighed little more than a bag of sugar when he was born - three months early and hundreds of miles from home.

Donnie and Catriona, both 35, had moved to Dorset for a few months for work but had planned to return to the North-east for the birth of their first child.

But Ethan had other ideas.

On February, 20 - months before they'd started packing for home - Catriona went into labour.

She was rushed to St Mary's hospital in Poole for an emergency caesarean section.

Ethan weighed just 2lb 13oz and doctors diagnosed lung problems and a hole in his heart.

Three months of intensive therapy later, Ethan was finally allowed home.

Today the wee smiler is up to a still small but healthy 17lb 6oz and shows no sign of his ordeal.

Catriona said: "To look at him now you'd never know he was premature."

She said time had wiped the memory of Ethan's traumatic early days from her mind.

She said: "I don't think about how he was when he was born. I focus on how healthy and full of life he is now."

Another wee fighter, who bounced back from a shaky start, is 18month-old Culter cutie, Dane Duffus.

Dane was born 12 weeks early in June 2001 in the Special Nursery at Aberdeen's Foresterhill hospital complex - barely troubling the scales at a tiny 2lb 14oz.

Mum Alison, 31, went into labour on a shopping trip and gave birth four hours later.

For Alison and husband, Mike, 36, the worst scare came two weeks later when the medics called to tell them Dane had stopped breathing.

Alison said: "It was terrifying. We didn't know if he was going to make it or not."

It took three attempts at resuscitation before Dane started breathing.

And it was another three months before he was well enough to leave hospital.

Back home in Culter, Dane raced along the road to recovery.

Alison said: "He put on weight really quickly - he's up to 26lbs which is quite big for his age.

"He took his first steps at the beginning of November and he's been coming on leaps and bounds since then."

Mike, a night store manager for Brake Brothers, and Alison have put their son's troubled beginnings behind them.

She said: "There were times when we didn't think he was going to make it but that's all in the past.

"We don't really think about it now."

 
Hall of fame for JBSS founder
 

The century-old Jamaica Burial Scheme Society (JBSS), the oldest of the friendly societies here, will induct four of its outstanding members into its Hall of Fame which is to be launched June 27, 2001, as part of activities marking the 100th anniversary of the Society.

Those to be inducted into the Hall of Fame at the Institute of Jamaica, East Street in downtown Kingston, include the JBSS' founder, Andrew Duffus Mowatt, who will be honoured posthumously in a ceremony, which will recall the heyday of the society.

With the sun at mid-sky on June 27, members of the society will assemble at the Ward Theatre in Parade. From there, they will wind their way along East Street, then south to the East Street home of the Institute, moving in procession to the beat of a marching band reminiscent of the early days.

Members of the Mowatt family who now reside in Chicago, Illinois, will travel to Kingston to join the JBSS in honuoring their famous patriarch. Mowatt, a Methodist activist, formed the Society on February 18, 1901 to assist the indigent and provide a burial of dignity for poor Jamaicans.
 

 

Past Sunday News Issues

claymoresword2.gif (4921 bytes)

| awards | celtic links | contents | crest | dedication | duffus 2000 | family treesgaelic links | genealogy | links | main index | sunday news- past issues | tartans |videos |

COPYRICHT

Copyright 2003. All rights reserved.