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Shetland Islands Tourist Guides Association
The story of professionally qualified guides on the Shetland Islands started in early 1994 when a course entitled ‘Specialist Tourist Guide Training’ was held at Shetland College over several Saturdays.
The trainees included Les Sinclair, Elizabeth Morewood, Bella Irvine, Joyce Garden, Jim Grunnaberg, Douglas Smith and Gordon Laurenson. It was delivered by Shetland College in conjunction with Shetland Islands Tourism. The training covered practical issues such as planning, timing, and using a microphone. As well as working in the classroom, the trainees did practice coach tours around the South Mainland.
Assessing the trainees were coach operator Andrew Morrison and Maurice Mullay, a representative of Shetland Islands Tourism.
On completion of the course in the spring of 1994, at the suggestion of Shetland Islands Tourism - who were keen for Shetland guides to be seen as being professional - it was decided to form Shetlands Tourist Guide Association.
One of those first guides, Douglas Smith had previously been employed in the Sanitary and later Environmental Health Department of Zetland County and later Shetland Islands Council from 1949 to 1989.
‘I felt that I could claim to have a fairly good knowledge of my home county,’ he said.
‘Over the 40 years I had visited virtually every house and certainly driven every mile of the roads other than in the remoter islands. I had also experienced foreign coach travel with a local company and, as a passenger, I was soon aware of what were the attributes required for a competent guide.’
‘My first recollection of any involvement with tour guiding must have been in 1993 when I received a compliments slip from a local firm stating: “Shetland needs YOU!”. This led me to attend a gathering where those present were presented with a fairly extensive questionnaire on various topics relating to Shetland in general, including geography, history and statistics which would be relevant in a guiding situation. We then underwent a course of lectures and demonstrations such as the proper use of microphones and handling of passengers in a coach. I seem to recollect that the whole idea of having our own guides in Shetland stemmed from the generally unsatisfactory performance and lack of local knowledge of guides who were accompanying parties from outwith Shetland. This was particularly galling to our local drivers who had to endure the often-ludicrous statements which were voiced as the various tours progressed.
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