Trust prepares to commemorate 80th anniversary of evacuation of St Kilda

The National Trust for Scotland has joined forces with two Western Isles-based organisations this month to mark the 80tth anniversary of the evacuation of St Kilda.

Two major cultural events will be held in the Western Isles in the coming weeks to commemorate the milestone, which falls on 29 August.

The Islands Book Trust, with support from the conservation charity, will be staging a four-day international conference in Benbecula from 11 -14 August to explore how the Western Isles have been portrayed in literature over the centuries and to dispel some common myths.

Speakers will come from a wide variety of backgrounds, and will include several with direct links to St Kilda including John MacDonald – son of Calum MacDonald (1908-1979) – who will speak about his father’ memories and launch his book From Cleits to Castles – A St Kildan Looks Back.

”Outer Hebrides”

David Boddington will talk about his time on St Kilda in the 1950s as Medical Officer with the Army and launch his book St Kilda Diary – A Record of the Early Re-Occupation of St Kilda.

The keynote speech will be given by the well-known genealogist Bill Lawson.

Susan Bain, Western Isles manager for the National Trust for Scotland will speak about how the archaeology of St Kilda has been interpreted and presented and Dr Richard Luxmoore, senior nature conservation adviser for the Trust, will talk about writings on the natural history of St Kilda.

The event will also feature rare archive recordings, exhibitions, a ceilidh, and specially designed notepaper and envelopes which can receive the St Kilda post-mark.

And in another event, visitors to North Uist can see Dutch artist Fred Schley’s stunning exhibition of paintings of the Outer Hebrides, including St Kilda, at the award winning Taigh Chearsabagh museum and arts centre in Lochmaddy.

”Beautiful island”

The exhibition, which is entitled The Outer Hebrides – Made in Holland, will run until 28 August.

On the day of the anniversary itself a mail-boat will be launched on St Kilda by staff from the National Trust for Scotland.

“Mailboats were used by St Kildans to contact the outside world in time of need and have now become a symbol of how isolated St Kilda was and the difficulties of communication, both factors that contributed to the evacuation,” said Susan Bain, who is responsible for managing St Kilda for the Trust.

“St Kilda stunning physical beauty, remoteness and intriguing cultural traditions provide an enduring source of fascination for people around the globe. We have been very keen to mark the anniversary of the evacuation and hope these events go some way to keeping the history of this beautiful island alive.”

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