Dear Julie and David

As a student at Stirling University 1972 to 1977 I had several occasions to work
at the Post House Hotel as a night porter during my Christmas break.
My memories are many and multi-fold. I first took the job as an innocent
(well nearly innocent) 20 year old in1973-4. Arriving at the centre by train from
Stirling just after it had been cut off by heavy snow for ten days.
The centre was then newly built and the SantaWorld did not exist.
I worked under the night manager, Peter Forbes, a gruff Highlander who had
worked  with the contractors building the hotel prior to working in it.
His opinion on the quality of the construction was thus unprintable.
Peter had three night porters working under him.
Myself (that year for seven weeks and for the same period for the next
three years) Ashley, an Australian on his world tour, and Mark, an Orkadian
married to one of the day receptionists. The hotel was then a flagship for the
Forte  group employing a cordon blue French chef and supplying the best the
group could manage to its guests at anything but cheap prices.
The general manager was an ex bank manager I believe headhunted by
Forte himself as the man who managed Fortes own accounts.
He had several shift managers from an Oxford graduate to a promoted receptionist.
One of the more interesting shift managers was  the real Bert Mackay from
the Isle of Sky. Bert was like a fish out of water as a duty manager.
He hated the job and looked extremely uncomfortable in the morning suit that
shift managers were expected to wear. The second year I was there the cordon blue
chef threw  a final artistic wobbly and executed his constant threat to walk out.
Bert was asked to manage the kitchen. He threw the morning suit in the bin
before they could ask a second time and threw the cordon blue menu in the
bin with it, dusted down his chef whites rolled up his sleeves and phoned
granny back on Skye for her recipe for Scotch Broth. The punters loved it.
Bert gave them traditional Scots fair with the best of ingredients. Game Pie,
Venison, Salmon, Scots beef. He was on the telly within twelve months as a
celebrated chef and one of the first promoting Scots fair. I doubt if  the
Post House Aviemore ever again employed a cordon blue chef and Bert from being
an unhappy under manager became a very happy chef.
I have many other stories but that will do for now.
I submit this purely for your interest and am happy to submit more should you
wish so I can bore a wider audience than my family with my reminiscences
of 1970s Aviemore. 

Yours
Chris Dolan.