2008 in the Kilmarnock Standard headlines: January to June

Dec 29 2008 By Stef Lach

IN JANUARY, have-a-go hero John McClymont took on two thugs who nicked a paperboy’s bike.

John, 50, tackled the two teenagers and asked them to return the youngster’s bike.

And when the two boys became abusive and started shouting and swearing at John, he stood his ground and managed to get the bike back.

Kilmarnock man John is a delivery driver for Brownings the bakers and was on one of his morning rounds when he came to the young boy’s rescue.

The brave dad-of-four said: "I managed to fend them off and ignore all the obscenities getting thrown at me.

"I knew it was all just bravado. But then one of them ran at me and threw a bottle of Irn-Bru at me which crashed right through my van window.

"They both walked away after that and dropped the bike, which I just lifted and returned to the shop, and the wee boy was delighted."

A MASSIVE painting of the Battle of Bannockburn by one of Scotland’s most famous artists was proudly hanging in Rowallan Castle.

The 16ft by 6ft canvas, an unfinished masterpiece by Sir William Allan, was loaned to the castle by the Royal Scottish Academy (RSA).

The painting depicts the historic battle of June 24, 1314 where Robert The Bruce won the decisive, bloody encounter against King Edward II of England in the First War of Scottish independence.

A MINI music festival in Kilmarnock saw some of the brightest young bands in the area descend on the Grand Hall.

The Winterfest 2008 treated music fans to a spectacle of brilliant performances from the likes of Civilised, Energy and Cullan.

IN FEBRUARY, closure-threatened Crossroads Primary School was given new hope when wealthy local farmer and businessman Wallace Hendrie offered to donate free land for the council to build a new school.

He also said he would donate a high-tech machine called a bio-digester which would power and heat the new school, making it highly efficient and eco-friendly.

Wallace, 37, a former pupil of the school, was desperate for the school to be saved. After a long campaign it was eventually spared the axe without Wallace’s land and bio-digester being required.

NATIVE American musician Arvel Bird visited Kilmarnock for the first time to research his family roots.

Arvel, who was visiting Scotland to play in the Celtic Connections festival, said: "I’m really happy to be in Scotland. We had a great show and everyone has been so friendly.

"The drive down from Glasgow through the rolling hills was superb."

Arvel spent the morning in Kilmarnock at the Dick Institute finding out more about his family free on his father’s side. Although Arvel’s mother Laverna is Paiute Native American, his late father Earl Bird can trace his heritage back to Kilmarnock and the Kennedy clan.

IN MARCH, Newmilns Primary School pupils were over the moon as the school’s brand new library opened. The children all dressed up as literary characters for the big event.

RADIO One stars Chappers and Dave visited Rugby Park as part of their charity fundraising tour. They ran a mile at different football grounds across the UK. But they met their match in local pension Peter ‘Mr Spoons’ Lee who joined them on their run and even played the spoons live to their Radio One listeners.

Chappers said: "Peter is absolutely extraordinary for a man of 82. He was telling us how he ran the Great North run in a time of two hours 45, and that included stopping to play the spoons for the spectators.

"We did it in two hours 10 but didn’t stop, so there wasn’t much difference between us, apart from 50 odd years that is."

Peter went on to find even more fame on the X Factor where he had a run-in with Simon Cowell.

A BIZARRE tale in a national Sunday paper claimed a jet-setting Russian billionaire feared to be the victim of a political murder plot could have had a hideaway home in Moscow, the tiny village outside Kilmarnock.

Leonid Rozhetskin was the focus of an international manhunt after disappearing from his £1m holiday home outside the Latvian capital Riga ‘in extremely worrying circumstances’.

But we exposed the story as utter nonsense. A Moscow lady said: " I’ve never seen any Russians round here, though we do keep ourselves to ourselves."

IN APRIL, a cheeky sign seen in a field at Shawhill in Hurlford caused quite a stir in the town. The obscene two-word message was displayed on a colourful, professionally-made sign.

Residents suspected it was erected by one of the locals who wished to make his or her feelings known.

It is believed the sign was a response to a row over land on which there were plans to build 49 houses.

A resident said: "I think the contractors have made a bit of a mess at the site."

BIKER Shirley-Ann Barnes led a pack of 64 biker chicks on a charity ride of Scotland.

Shirley-Ann and her gang were clad in bright pink high-visibility jackets for the ride called The Breast Way Round.

The Kilmarnock woman organised the ride in aid of Macmillan Cancer Relief for a friend who has terminal cancer.

Shirley-Ann, 45, said: "At first, I dreamed of getting 50 bikers on the ride — but I never expected to have 64."

They raised thousands of pounds in sponsorship for the charity.

IN MAY, a town centre underpass was given a bright new look thanks to local kids and a top street artist.

Spray painter AKS from Top Dog Promotions visited Kilmarnock to tackle the underpass which links the Burns Mall with London Road.

The area was closed off to allow a new team of budding graffiti artists to express themselves in a controlled environment. The project was funded by East Ayrshire Community Safety Partnership Local Action Fund in association with EAC Arts and Museums section.

MYSTERIOUS lights sparked UFO fears in Kilmarnock. Two separate witnesses insisted they saw strange lights in the Kilmarnock skies on the same night in May.

A 32-year-old mum, who asked not to be named for fear of ridicule, noticed a bright light hovering in the trees behind her house. She went out to investigate and was stunned at what she saw.

She said: "It was an orange and yellow colour and was about 40 foot off the ground. It was like the middle of it was a ball of fire.

"It started coming down very slowly and when it got near the ground it moved left, then right before rising again and disappearing over the houses." Thankfully, no one was abducted by little green men.

A YOUNG footballer from Kilmarnock lived every boy’s dream when he ran out at Hampden Park to play in the Scottish Cup final.

Queen of the South midfielder Scott Robertson came on as a second-half substitute just minutes after his side had fallen 3-2 behind to eventual winners Rangers.

Despite the heartbreaking defeat in front of almost 49,000 fans, 20-year-old Scott insisted it was a day he will never forget.

Rangers had taken a first-half 2-0 lead but the Dumfries side pulled it back to 2-2 before the Glasgow giants got a killer third.

Scott, a die-hard Killie fan, said: "It was a fantastic experience and the whole weekend will live with me forever."

IN JUNE, cute pooch Brody the Golden Labrador joined his family on a six-mile fun run, but halfway through he was so knackered he collapsed and had to be taken away in an ambulance!

Brody was fine after a bit of rest and TLC, but he was certainly in the doghouse after putting an end to the day out.

A CARS ‘n Rides show at Loudoun Castle attracted thousands of spectators. Loads of brilliant cars, from vintage to modern and wacky, wowed the crowds.

COUNCIL bosses, fed up with Kilmarnock’s notorious seagulls, gave permission to a pest controller to SHOOT the pesky birds.

A concerned resident in Gibson Street, Bonnyton, spotted what he thought was a gunman in his street just after midnight and called police.

The man said: "I saw the guy get out of the car and then I spotted the barrel of the air rifle. It was really freaky. He then took aim at the roof across the road and that’s when I heard a pop.

"My friend saw him go into the garden and carry something away and into his car."

The terrified man was relieved to hear the shooter was the entirely innocent Stephen Neville, the council’s pest control contractor who has a licence to shoot birds when they present a hazard to people.

If only the council bosses had let the rest of us know what to expect.