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Diggar McGillivray.


Charles Bannerman

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my other Sister's husband had a hoover/ appliance repair shop next door.

So was your sister's husband Pat Young then? And was it next door to Scotty's barber's shop that the hoover place was rather than him becoming the next tenant after Scotty?

And exgrover... would Scotty Bernardi's barber's shop therefore have been where they eventually built River House in the early 60s to allow the Tax Offices etc to move from Longman Road?

Charles, My brother in law is Malcolm (Mac) MacKenzie, he and Pat Young worked with the Hoover company at the same time and eventually left and started their own businesses. My brother in law's shop was next door to Dunky Holme's barber's shop on Huntly St.

I believe Pat Young moved into Scotty's barber shop premises when Scotty retired.

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my other Sister's husband had a hoover/ appliance repair shop next door.

So was your sister's husband Pat Young then? And was it next door to Scotty's barber's shop that the hoover place was rather than him becoming the next tenant after Scotty?

And exgrover... would Scotty Bernardi's barber's shop therefore have been where they eventually built River House in the early 60s to allow the Tax Offices etc to move from Longman Road?

Charles, My brother in law is Malcolm (Mac) MacKenzie, he and Pat Young worked with the Hoover company at the same time and eventually left and started their own businesses. My brother in law's shop was next door to Dunky Holme's barber's shop on Huntly St.

I believe Pat Young moved into Scotty's barber shop premises when Scotty retired.

Got you now!

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  • 1 month later...

Diggar was my granda.

So are you Denis's son or Jill's?

Obviously Diggar was enough of a Telford Street legend to be afforded Boardroom hospitality on a regular basis.

I have a clear recollection of being in Finlay's Bar on the Sunday afternoon (Sep 12th) following the September 9th 1993 Merger votes, getting the exclusive story (sorry if I sound like Chic :P ) that there would be organised opposition to the Merger. This was immediately after the inaugural Rebel meeting there and I well remember a quote from young Brooman, grandson of Diggar's great mate John Brooman, who made the rather dramatic statement that: "Diggar McGillvary isn't even cold in his grave and look what they're doing to the club."

Diggar had indeed died just a few weeks previously. I sometimes wonder what Diggar would have thought about the merger..... and indeed about his equally beloved Rangers getting beaten home and away by an Inverness team?!

I am Jill's son. I don't know what he would have made of the merger of the club. Although to be fair, I don't know what he would of made of my becoming.. dare I say it.... a County fan haha.

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I am Jill's son. I don't know what he would have made of the merger of the club. Although to be fair, I don't know what he would of made of my becoming.. dare I say it.... a County fan haha.

Now that is absolutely hilarious!! :015: :lol:

Here was young Brooman in Finlay's on that iconic Sunday afternoon in September 1993, lamenting what Diggar would have thought about what, OK, looked like a potentially risky move at the time but which has ultimately brought SPL football to Inverness.

So in that case, what would Diggar have thought about his grandson becoming a County fan?? :008:

I suspect that Diggar, had he been alive during the merger, would initially have been verging on the rebel side but would have become a staunch ICT supporter sooner rather than later.

Fond memories of reading the Beano, Dandy, Victor (loved Tough of the Track!) on that bench in Diggar's shop waiting for my turn while Diggar (occasionally) cut hair, sold Coupons and dashed out on to Greig Street to heap friendly abuse on the said young Brooman's grandfather.

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Charles who was the barber next to the Locarno in Academy street??

Now my problem here is that I forget which of the Academy St. Italian cafes was the Locarno.... the one just up from the Market or the one up almost opposite the Phoenix.

There's still a barber up on the other side from the Phoenix by the name of Cameron I think but I'm not sure if this is the same premises as the one you remember and which I do slightly. Then between the other cafe and the end of Queensgate there was Fornaris but that was a ladies' hairdresser!

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The hairdressers next to Dorandos in Academy St was Jimmy Wilsons ,is that the one you are thinking of gift shop in the front and hairdressers at the back they were sort of 1 step up from a barbers

Edited by morris
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The hairdressers next to Dorandos in Academy St was Jimmy Wilsons ,is that the one you are thinking of gift shop in the front and hairdressers at the back they were sort of 1 step up from a barbers

Thanks Morris. It's clicked now. Dorandos was the cafe further up Academy Street nearer the Phoenix and Jimmy Wilson was the barber nearby. Come to think of it, I knew Jimmy slightly but had forgotten. The Locarno was the cafe nearer the Market and in fact had a back door into the Market. As I said before, I don't remember a barber's near there but do remember Fornari's the hairdresser's more or less next door. (Not by direct experience though :lol: - I was a Diggar's man for almost 20 years!)

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The one i am thinking off was next to the cafe with a back enterance to the market, it had marble floors I think, and a gents tobacconist with jars of tobacco on sale my Grandpa always got his pipe baccy mixed there measured on scales

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The one i am thinking off was next to the cafe with a back enterance to the market, it had marble floors I think, and a gents tobacconist with jars of tobacco on sale my Grandpa always got his pipe baccy mixed there measured on scales

That would therefore indeed be what I have now been reminded is the Locarno which did have a back exit into the market. I can't say I remember a barber's there, certainly from my first clear memories which would have been around the late 50s. What I do remember in that avenue of the market between the main hall and Queensgate are Bruce Miller's music shop, Morrison's baker's plus cafe and the legendary "Hughie Pram's" which was a sheer delight and Aladdin's cave of toys for any young child to be taken into.

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Locarnos Cafe was run by Mr Serafini, great guy and a good friend of my mother. He was Sergio Serafini's dad. A father and son who were so different.

Great coffee at Locarnos and very good but very odd tasting ice cream. There was a Barbers mid way through the Market, can't remeber the name even though that is where i always went.

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Locarnos Cafe was run by Mr Serafini, great guy and a good friend of my mother. He was Sergio Serafini's dad. A father and son who were so different.

Great coffee at Locarnos and very good but very odd tasting ice cream. There was a Barbers mid way through the Market, can't remeber the name even though that is where i always went.

Treasurers was the barber's shop, the family stayed in Lilac Grove, #1 at the corner of Caledonian Road.

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Locarnos Cafe was run by Mr Serafini, great guy and a good friend of my mother. He was Sergio Serafini's dad. A father and son who were so different.

Great coffee at Locarnos and very good but very odd tasting ice cream. There was a Barbers mid way through the Market, can't remeber the name even though that is where i always went.

Treasurers was the barber's shop, the family stayed in Lilac Grove, #1 at the corner of Caledonian Road.

Where exactly was the Treasurer's you're talking about Canuck? I seem to remember relatively recently that Billy Treasurer, who lived in that house on Lilac Grove but will be in his late 50s or maybe early 60s and hence probably the next generation down, had a barber's shop in the main front Market Hall off Academy Street. However there's also a bell ringing about a barber's in New market Hall between the Fishmarket and the main hall. Was the original Treasurer's nearer the back of the Locarno?

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Locarnos Cafe was run by Mr Serafini, great guy and a good friend of my mother. He was Sergio Serafini's dad. A father and son who were so different.

Great coffee at Locarnos and very good but very odd tasting ice cream. There was a Barbers mid way through the Market, can't remeber the name even though that is where i always went.

Treasurers was the barber's shop, the family stayed in Lilac Grove, #1 at the corner of Caledonian Road.

Where exactly was the Treasurer's you're talking about Canuck? I seem to remember relatively recently that Billy Treasurer, who lived in that house on Lilac Grove but will be in his late 50s or maybe early 60s and hence probably the next generation down, had a barber's shop in the main front Market Hall off Academy Street. However there's also a bell ringing about a barber's in New market Hall between the Fishmarket and the main hall. Was the original Treasurer's nearer the back of the Locarno?

Treasurer's the barber was originally in a basement (of the Balmoral ?) in Queensgate - I was taken there as a kid for haircuts in the late 1950s. I recall Mr Treasurer as always being a very smartly dressed man in his white coat and good at putting you at your ease. They moved to a new shop in the market (next to Johnstone's the gents' outfitters) in the early 1960s and Mr Treasurer died not long after. I think Mrs Treasurer used to serve at the front counter.

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Locarnos Cafe was run by Mr Serafini, great guy and a good friend of my mother. He was Sergio Serafini's dad. A father and son who were so different.

Great coffee at Locarnos and very good but very odd tasting ice cream. There was a Barbers mid way through the Market, can't remeber the name even though that is where i always went.

Treasurers was the barber's shop, the family stayed in Lilac Grove, #1 at the corner of Caledonian Road.

Where exactly was the Treasurer's you're talking about Canuck? I seem to remember relatively recently that Billy Treasurer, who lived in that house on Lilac Grove but will be in his late 50s or maybe early 60s and hence probably the next generation down, had a barber's shop in the main front Market Hall off Academy Street. However there's also a bell ringing about a barber's in New market Hall between the Fishmarket and the main hall. Was the original Treasurer's nearer the back of the Locarno?

Bily treasurer would indeed be about 60 years old. The shop was in the main hall on the right hand side going towards Academy St.from for example, Finklesteins the jewellers. I don't recall Treasurers being anywhere else.

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Bily treasurer would indeed be about 60 years old. The shop was in the main hall on the right hand side going towards Academy St.from for example, Finklesteins the jewellers. I don't recall Treasurers being anywhere else.

No, neither do I but it was just that I wasn't sure from a post earlier on if a barber's nearer the back door of the Locarno was being referred to. (I was actually in Billy's shop having my hair cut on Monday.)

Edited by Charles Bannerman
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I am Diggar,s daughter Jill and i am finding this very interesting and funny thinking back to the old days and my Dad. I used to walk over the Greig St bridge and i could hear him as i was walking down the steps of the bridge.

Barry is a Ross County supporter but also supports Rangers so dad would be proud of that.

Look forward to reading more on this and old Inverness.

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I am Diggar,s daughter Jill and i am finding this very interesting and funny thinking back to the old days and my Dad. I used to walk over the Greig St bridge and i could hear him as i was walking down the steps of the bridge.

Barry is a Ross County supporter but also supports Rangers so dad would be proud of that.

Look forward to reading more on this and old Inverness.

Jill.. let me share an anecdote which I heard way back I think in the early 70s when you would have been a young girl. The residents of Ballifeary Road were having a meeting about energy supply at which Diggar pipes up with the legendary quote "I'm all gas, me!"... which prompted hilarious mayhem! This, I am told, is a true story and is just what you would benevolently love to hear from Diggar!

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That sounds like my Dad, so chuffed that we were getting gas central heating in Ballifeary Road very posh !!!!!!! The stories i used to hear especially on a Thursday coupon day. I started working with dad at 10 years old ,slave driver that he was but i loved every minute of it.

I remember on his 65th birthday, it was a Thursday and Robbie Laidlaw and the rest of Greig St organised a Kissogram for him and he thought it was someone wanting a coupon !!!!! i have it on video and its hilarious his reaction especially when she took her coat off and all she had on was underwear.

Still missed so much, Greig St is not the same and never will be.

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The stories i used to hear especially on a Thursday coupon day.

Still missed so much, Greig St is not the same and never will be.

Jill... Thursday was maybe NOT the best day to go into Diggar's for a haircut. There would be quite a lot of people sitting patiently on that bench that ran the length of the shop, reading the Beano or whatever while Diggar made very slow progress with the clippers. The reason, of course, was that he would only get a few snips done and somebody else would come in with their coupon and of couse it would not only be the handover of cash and coupon but also the exchange of banter as well before Diggar would get back for a few more snips. Then there would be another break to allow Diggar to go out on to the street to hurl amiable abuse at John Brooman or whichever other innocent passer by would be his next target.

As for Grieg Street not being the same, I was brought up round the corner in 70 Kenneth Street for about 2 years (and continued to go to Diggar for about another 15 after we moved to Dalneigh!)and at the age of about 3, a trip to Grieg Street was a huge adventure.

I'm sure fellow Olde Invernessians will remember Frank Hill's newsagent, Cushnie's Post office ("Post Office" is still there on the pavement in brass lettering), Jimmy Munro's grocer shop, Baddon's bike shop through the wall from Diggar, Salvadori's amazing ice creams, the Cooperative etc etc.

An era never to be revisited (although I suspect I'm now revisiting stuff I probably originally included in previous posts on this longrunning thread two or three years ago!)

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  • 11 years later...
On 7/21/2010 at 8:30 AM, culduthel said:

Locarnos Cafe was run by Mr Serafini, great guy and a good friend of my mother. He was Sergio Serafini's dad. A father and son who were so different.

 

Great coffee at Locarnos and very good but very odd tasting ice cream. There was a Barbers mid way through the Market, can't remeber the name even though that is where i always went.

Sergio's father was called Renzo Serafini and his mother was Vincenzina Serafini (nee Celli).  Sergio's grandmother Mary Celli (nee Woods) was my great aunt. She was married to Lottetto Celli, originally from Frosinone Province in Italy. The Woods family were from Ireland, where I am from, though I have lived in London for over 30 years. I met Renzo on my one and only visit to Inverness in 1973.  Good point about the father and son being different, as  I remember Sergio being referred to as the black sheep of the family even then.

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