THIS week's look into the Greenock Telegraph archives takes us back 18 years – when parents welcomed a new speed limit for a ‘nightmare’ Greenock road.
A part-time 20mph restriction was to be introduced on the A78 outside Ravenscraig and Lady Alice primary schools and Greenock High.
Sonia King, who would not let her daughter walk to school alone because of her concerns regarding the road, said the move would potentially ‘save lives’.
Jackie Thomson, whose son attended Ravenscraig Primary, added: “It is a brilliant idea.
“I am always worried about an accident at the petrol station because of the amount of weans that run across.”
Ravenscraig head teacher Isabella Lind told the Tele: “It is a killer road.
“If the children go to after-school activities the teacher will take them across.
“We have always said it was a busy road, and since 1988 concern has never diminished.”
Elsewhere, a new pitch promised to reshape the future of football in Inverclyde.
Greenock Sports Centre unveiled its flagship AstroTurf pitch as part of a masterplan to plug a gap in training facilities and unlock grassroots talent in the area.
SFA development officer Stuart Rafferty hailed the new facility, saying it was ‘a step in the right direction’ for Inverclyde.
Meanwhile, veterans were transported back in time at a ‘Navy Army and Air Forces Institute’ (NAAFI) event run by Greenock’s RAF club.
Former soldiers paid tribute to fallen comrades at a Remembrance Service before tucking into a hot meal and refreshments.
The hall was decked out in war-time fashion, with schoolgirl Sophie Kendall compiling a special exhibition of memorabilia for the occasion.
Veteran George Carson was one of the guests at the event, which was held on the 60th anniversary of the end of the Second World War and the inauguration of the club.
He joked: “I asked the lady behind the bar if the prices were also going to be from the 1940s, but unfortunately, they weren’t.
“It’s been great and it’s brought back a lot of memories.”
In other news, tributes were paid to former Inverclyde coastguard George Brown.
The 70-year old passed away peacefully at his home in Stromness in Orkney.
George became a full-time coastguard after moving to the mainland with his family, first serving in Portpatrick and Ardrossan before moving to the Greenock base.
At a royal visit prior to the opening of the new Clyde Coastguard headquarters in Greenock’s Navy Buildings in 1976, George was presented to the Prince of Wales.
He stepped ashore from an inflatable boat and had the gathered press in stitches when, in his Orcadian accent, he told the Prince: “Ah kent yer mither.”
In sport, Morton's Mark Farrell picked up the second division Groundsman of the Year award.
The 29-year-old previously tended to the greens at Loch Lomond Golf Course before beginning his stint at Morton.
When quizzed about his success, Mark told the Tele: “Well it’s down to the club’s investment in the pitch and working hard after each match.
“It’s not just first team games played on here; there are reserve matches and youth team cup games too.
“The club are keen to spend money on the ground and I’m just here to divert it where it needs to go.”
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