COMMUNITY
Memories
that stick
Twelve young men in
black and white vertical
stripes look towards
the camera – shinty sticks
in hand. Their baggy shorts
and collared shirts hint at the
1950s era, and the trophy at
their feet shows they have
good reason to be grinning
– but only a shinty stalwart
would be able to tell you that
the photo (on page 9) shows
Dalmally team Glenorchy
celebrating winning their fi rst
big trophy, the Munro shield.
The picture is one of a series
posted on the Shinty Memories
Facebook and Twitter feeds.
Featuring action shots, team
photos, and shinty grounds
and characters from across
the Highlands, this social media
activity is one aspect of a
project which has a dual purpose
– to gather content for a
national archive, and to create
shinty-inspired resources to
help people living with dementia
8 | MAY 2018
How shinty’s archive is helping
to tackle dementia
and loneliness.
John Mackenzie, a celebrated
Newtonmore player and former
president of the Camanachd
Association, is the Shinty
Memories Ambassador. 'I’ve
made a great many friends
through shinty, and I’m enjoying
trying to put a little back
into something I’ve enjoyed all
my life,' he says.
'I want to encourage folk in
the shinty community to form
groups to allow those affected
by dementia the enjoyment
of spending time with friends,
sharing memories and looking
at pictorial evidence of the
past.'
John gained a particular insight
into the impact of dementia
through his friendship with another
ex-Newtonmore player
and Camanachd Association
president, Douglas ‘Dougie
Dhai’ MacKintosh, who died
last year.
Douglas lived with dementia
towards the end of his life, and
a 2016 BBC Alba documentary
showed the pair sharing stories
and laughing at old photographs.
Dougie would become
more engaged whenever
talking about shinty, and an
interview with his wife, Anne,
confi rmed how important such
interactions became for him.
Around 93,000 people in Scotland
are living with dementia,
including 2,000 in Argyll and
Bute.
The brain illness makes it harder
to remember, and has an
impact on thinking, feeling and
behaviour. Those affected can
The 1956 Camanachd Cup fi nal at Oban