August 1983
Poor Response to Police Plea on Whitfield Stabbing
Once again, the response from the people of Whitfield, Dundee, to police appeals for information concerning the stabbing of a 7 year old girl has been disappointing. Police repeated their appeals for help for a third consecutive day, following the incident which happened at about 1.30pm on Friday in the pedestrian tunnel at Whitfield Drive near Whitfield Church. A spokesman said " The appeal to date has brought little response from the public. We would like to anyone who was in the Whitfield shopping centre between 1 and 1.30pm on Friday to get in touch with us. Any information, however seemingly trivial, could be of importance."
The man police are seeking in connection with the incident is described at 18 to 25 years old, 5 ft 8 inches tall, of thin build with brown shoulder length hair. He was wearing a blue or black denim or leather jerkin or bomber jacket, denim jeans or trousers and black boots or shoes. Anyone with information should contact police at West Bell Street (tel 22300) or any police officer.
£2½ million Housing Plans For Two Dundee Sites
Dundee may soon lose two prominent landmarks to the dull-dozer if planning applications for two housing developments, costing a total of £2½ million, are successful. Housing for the elderly and disabled is planned for a £2 million development on the sit of the former smallpox hospital in MacAlpine Road, between Kingsway West and School Road in Downfield.
Two blocks of flats in a ½ million development, are planned for the site of Forest Park Cinema, off Blackness Road, which has been standing empty for some time.
If outline planning permission is granted by Dundee District Council, both hospital and cinema will be demolished. The East of Scotland Housing Association and the Servite Housing Association are planning a joint project to build around 100 units on the hospital site. Mrs Shirley Campbell, area manager with Servite Houses, said yesterday Tayside Health Board had agreed to sell the ground to the housing associations. Servite Housing Association plan to build 36 units a mixture of single and double apartments with common facilities such as a laundry, guest bedrooms and a common room.
The East of Scotland Housing Association proposes to develop the rest of the site to include a dozen family units for disabled people, 30 for single-person flats and 20 four-person/three apartment homes with a possibility of two or three five-person apartment houses.
Mr John Clark of Baxter Clark & Paul, architects for the project, said the work could start late next spring and last for 15 months. He said jobs would obviously be created for the building industry, but it would depend on the contractors' workload whether extra employees were taken on.
Charles Gray (Builders) Ltd., have applied for permission to build two blocks of flats on the site of Forest Park Cinema. Development of the 20 homes at Forest Park Road will cost an estimated £450, 000 and comprise one and two bedroomed flats. The four-storey buildings have been designed by George Johnson Architects to blend with the surrounding tenements.
Tay Road Bridge Drama
An American oil tanker carrying thousands of tons of crude from Venezuela come perilously close to ploughing into the Tay Road Bridge last night. Its out-of-control upriver drift was halted by a sandbank just over 200 yards for the bridge as a lone tug battled to bring the helpless vessel under control.
Bridge staff watched in horror as the near-700 foot long Chelsea bore down on the multi-million pound structure. The bridge was swiftly sealed off to traffic when it seemed that a collision was possible and remained deserted for well over an hour as tugs and a trio of oil vessels which had been asked to pull the Chelsea clear of the Bridge.
As the drama unfolded thousands of people watched from the shore. The bridge closure caused major traffic jams at both ends of the bridge as commuters heading home wanted to cross the river. Now Dundee Port Authority are to carry out an internal inquiry into the whole matter.
The drama began around 5pm and ended three hours later when the Chelsea with her cargo of 29, 000 tons of crude oil, was finally berthed alongside King George V Wharf. The 22.357 tonne tanker, which has a crew of about 25, had failed to turn and began to drift upriver the half-mile or so to the busy road bridge.
Harbour-master Captain John Watson requested closure of the bridge and asked for help from the masters of the three North Sea supply vessels - Oil Hustler, Sound Truck and Sea Worker. The three makeshift tugs and two port authority tugs - Scotscraig and Castlecraig - surrounded the Chelsea and the delicate manoeuvring operation was coordinated by Captain Watson and deputy harbour-master Captain John Fyffe from the port control offices at the quayside. The five boats worked together for over two hours to pull the Chelsea downriver to the wharf, where she was finally berthed shortly before 8pm.
Practice Loops Over Dundee
A magnificent man with his flying machine came to Dundee this weekend to loop the loop and defy the ground at the airport. Brendan O'Brien, a one-man flying circus based at Redhill, near Biggin Hill arrived on Saturday in his Pitt's Special stunt plane. He was stopping over on his way to an air display in Aberdeenshire and while he was at Riverside, Brendan made a few practice loops and rolls over the west end of the city.
Brendan who operates Skyfever Aviation Enterprises, has a stable of light aircraft which he uses for displays,including a Stampe and a Fournier. However, the punchy Pitt's bi-plane with the red and white sunburst paintwork is among the best suited for flying circus work.
"I perform about 75 to a hundred displays every year in places as far apart as Scotland and Germany" said Brendan "I've never given a show in Dundee, but I'm certainly thinking about it and I may be back this way soon.
Let's "Bogie" On Down to Ricks
In the four months since Rick's disco opened in the old St Roque's Library in Blackscroft, it is steadily becoming one of Dundee's most popular night spots.
From the outside the building doesn't look too glamorous - it's a listed building and bound by strict regulations - but stepping through the door is likde stepping into another world. With its high quality decor and friendly helpful staff, Rick's attracts a good variety of people looking for an enjoyable night out. It's not a big place, the capacity is about 250, but it has a terrific atmosphere and the people there when we visited certainly seemed to be having a good time.
500 At Dundee Sikh Wedding
Miss Sukhbinder Kaur Singh the 20 year old daughter of a Dundee business man was married yesterday in the city's Sikh Temple in Nelson Street. Sukhbinder, who has just completed a secretarial course at Dundee College of Commerce, was wed in a colourful and traditional Sikh ceremony to Mr Sorinder Singh, a 22 year old pharmacy student at Glasgow University.
Around 500 guests - including over 100 from the bridegrooms home town of Glasgow - attended the wedding and the reception in the Marryat Hall.
The couple took their vows inf ront of the congregation having been asked for their joint consent by the temple registrar, Mr Gurbachan - much of the ceremony is similar to the usual British format. The service ends wiht a prayer for the well-being of all mankind - irrespective of colour, race or creed.
The newly married coulple plan to live in Glasgow. Sukhbinder's family live in Blake Street in Broughty Ferry. Her father. Mr Pritam Singh came to Dundee in 1947 and owns a business in the Wellgate Centre.