Dear David and Julie,

I saw your request in the Sunday Post for information about Aviemore in the 60s, 70s and 80s and I thought you might like to hear some of my recollections of my life there. We bought one of the cottages on Railway Terrace in 1975 and moved there from a small village in Suffolk.  The family consisted of myself, my husband and our 5 year old son.  We moved there for a complete change of lifestyle and a healthy climate for our son.  My husband worked as a railway engineer in Inverness and I worked as the secretary at Aviemore Primary School.  My memories are of a very happy life, our son loved school and the children did benefit a lot from the Centre whose staff seemed to make it their business to make sure the local people had good use of the facilities and our son learnt to swim in the magnificent swimming pool, which was used by the school and the local swimming club.  I also remember as one of the leaders of the local cub movement helping them use the pool with the scouts to practice for a swimming gala.  The centre did quite a lot to help the school and one Easter they set up a disco within the school hall.  The noise was deafening as I sat in my office above them, listening to them dancing and singing.  The Headmaster couldn't stand the noise and went to lunch leaving me and the janitor to deal with parents looking for children who were late home for lunch. When the new Santa Claus Land opened the centre arranged for the two youngest classes to visit and I went with one of the classes to help supervise.  The excitement of the children was marvellous and the centre staff were lovely with them all.  When “Star Wars” the film was opening at the centre cinema, the centre set a competition for each class to build a model and the prize was for the whole winning class to go to the cinema.  I was asked to go with the class and we walked in a "crocodile" along the A9.  During the interval all were given choc-ices and sweets.  Although we did not ice skate I remember going to "Mini Car racing on ice".  It was great fun.  During the very bad winter we were cut off for some time and we had no electricity.  The local hotels delivered hot meals to all the pensioners on Railway Terrace, these being pulled on sleds by the staff through snow drifts higher than cars!  We were forced to move away in 1979 for my husbands work, but I have never forgotten my happy times in Aviemore and have lived in many parts of the country but always promised myself I would retire back home to Aviemore.  I never made it back there and the placed has changed so much and I personally do not think for the best, but I am as near as possible to my home!

Yours sincerely,
Josephine Taylor
Nairn