Charles Bannerman

I'd forgotten about Dorandos and the Turrianis. So who ran the other cafe in Academy Street.... was it The Locarno which ran right through to a back door in the Market? I think it eventually became as sports shop but can't remember what's there now.

CMIB... I do believe you are right. Do you also remember the little blue Pagliari's ice cream van that used to go all over town, summoning customers with the Harry Lime theme? **** good ice cream it was too, like so many of the Italians. That's the trouble since the Tally Cafes steadily closed down in Inverness - you can't get a decent ice cream anywhere. As far as I remember, the only decent non Italian ice cream you could get was from Stratton in Church Street. EVA 11 is, I think, still running about Inverness, presumably originally the property of one Eva Pagliari. So how many Italian food retail families did we used to have? Pagliaris, Serafinis, Salvadoris, Coffrinis (Ness Cafe), Bernardis... any more? I'm sure there are. Were there Capaldis in Inverness?

Forkhandles! There was a similar "period" ambience in the other ironmongers in town, Gilbert Ross on Hamilton Street and was it Mitchell and Craig on Academy Street between Station Square and the La Scala? Nails bought by the pound and weedkiller by the scoop. I suppose the closest there is to that these days is Farm and Household. Frankie Jew of course was also a devotee of the brown overall.

I went along Eastgate 2-4 times a day on foot/ bike/ moped for six years en route from Dalneigh to the Royal Academy. Does anyone remember Oddjob at lunch time going down Stephen's Brae via Greenwald's the Bookie's to one of the pubs on Eastgate and then staggering back up the hill at 2pm? The BB HQ on Hamilton Street, just along from Gilbert Ross's ironmonger's, was called Washington Court. Does anyone else remember being put into line there for Church Parades by Scoobies.... back in the days when Gordy Bus and John Beaton were a young and aspiring officers. Maybe the Ferry Boys who gave A96 the doing were from the 4th Company. Chippers.... you need go no further than the excellent fare cooked up by Caley D's brother at Mike Guibarelli's in Hilton. Difficult also to beat prices like 50p for a bag ofc hips and £2.50 for a chicken supper. The chipper which used to be on Academy Street many years ago, opposite the Phoenix, was pretty good at the time too. I remember a boy in my class got a place as an extra in the Culloden film. It was probably ahead of its time for blood, guts and brutality.

Sorry, I have no record of thsat. If there's anyone out there with a copy of Bill MacAllister's "Highland Hundred" therHL's official history, it may be in there. Jock.... there can't be many people around who can still remember old Bridge Street down to the numbers!

Jock... the Highland League was founded in a Working Men's Club in Bridge Street which in these days had rather more architectural attraction than it has since the 60s travesty.

Jock... the Highland League was founded in the Working Men's Club on Bridge Street which in these days had a good deal more architectural integrity than it has since it was demolished and rebuilt during the 60s.

The Highland League was formed in a club on Bridge Street in 1893. The founder members included Caley Clach and Thistle all of which had their origins in the 1880s. In contrast Dundee FC was formed in 1893 while Dundee United are very much New Kids on the Block, having been formed in 1909. Until the 1930s there was also a fourth Inverness club, Citadel, in the Highland League. For allegedly not having a football tradition, Inverness seems to have done rather well, finishing for the last two seasons ahead of both clubs from the City of Discovery. I suppose Inverness can also lay claim to being a "football city" on the strength of long term support here for Celtic (founded 1888) and Rangers (founded 1690).

The interview I did for the HN with David Sutherland will be on the Official part of the site tomorrow (Fri).