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more light-hearted side of guiding. She recalled a visitor being taken to South Queensferry to survey the marvel of the Forth rail bridge.
‘The visitor listened impassively as the rail and engineering statistics were outlined and then asked (seriously): But how does the train manage to go up and down those humps?’
The STGA celebrated its 25th anniversary in 1984 with a Buffet Dance at Stockbridge House and the event was covered in the Edinburgh Evening News. At that time there were 112 Blue Badge guides in Edinburgh, 41 in Glasgow and 11 in Aberdeen. Bill Nicholson, who had retired from the STB, now had his own firm, Tourist Promotion (Scotland) in Castle Street, and was one of the attendees at the event.
In 1986 some 20 new guides, including six coach drivers, passed their exams and Chris Mackay, dubbed the bard of the STGA, wrote the following poem for the new intake:
UBIQUE
You just can’t get away from us, no matter where you go
You’ll find us by Loch Lomondside, you’ll find us in Glencoe You’ll find us at the Stately Homes, at Hopetoun, Scone, Traquair Try escaping to the Isles, and you will find us there
Glasgow’s streets are thronged with folk and Edinburgh’s too
But even in the densest crowd there shines a glint of blue
The wee blue badges that we wear were won by sweat and toil Studying till our eyes fell out, burning the midnight oil
Now that you’ve got your badges, it’s been worth all the hassle Congratulations to you all and ...see you at the Castle!
The new guides were warned they faced a challenging season with an economic downturn and the worst nuclear power plant accident ever at Chernobyl in the Ukraine taking place on April 26 spreading fallout across Europe.
Among the new guides was Ken Hanley who, at the time, was a coach driver.
He had left school at the age of 14 to become an apprentice mechanic. However he moved on to do a number of other jobs including labouring, dumper truck driving, and being a door to door salesman. Later he got a driving licence for a coach and paid for it himself. He got a job at Eastern Scottish and drove coaches part time to make extra money.
‘That led me to Silver Fox which is Edinburgh Coachlines today and that led me to tourism. ‘It was something I felt comfortable with and I got the backing of my wife Anne and the family. Being away from home at times can be difficult but I just met wonderful people like Anne Lister, Jean Duncan and Pat Dishon and they said when guides are stuck they ask you and you should really think about training as a guide yourself.
‘But although I was very outgoing I was inwardly very shy about my inadequacies in putting together a written essay or things of that nature. There was a driver at Silver Fox, Dave Stalker. Dave had a certain aura about him and was able to share his knowledge of history with me.
‘I applied for the course and by sheer luck was accepted and Anne Lister was probably my ‘go to’ person for help. Anne Lister was a giant. Someone who was so natural with it and who wasn’t trying to push anything. She always had time to answer a question. It was the same with Jean Duncan and later on Pat Dishon.
‘Everybody was very nervous and I was no different. And they would say Kenny you have got the most wonderful voice, little things that got you over that hill. When I was away working I would be trying to read up things for the course and the other drivers would say “we’re going to the pub. Kenny.”
‘Con Gillen was an absolute giant and Basil Skinner was incredible. All these people and the guides were pioneers in my estimation. They saw that bigger picture for tourism.
‘I continued coach driving for a short time after passing the course and it was a passport for me. A couple of coach operators wanted my services because I was a Blue Badge guide
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