1960s: Mike Kerr - Teacher at Kilquhanity
The Log Cabin Maker, Potter and Canoe builder
Mike Kerr described himself in the Visitors Jubilee Book as a:
. . . charcoal burner, glass maker, potter, chair-maker, builder of the log-cabin and canoe, was here for the Jubilee august 1990, cocky as ever.
I am not sure as to how good he was as a charcoal burner or even as a glass or chair-maker - but there was indeed pottery-making equipment and a specific area in the school, and although I doubt whether he was the person who actually set up the wheels or kilns which we know were already there, I am sure he must have spent some time teaching the kids his skills during his years in Kilquhanity as a teacher
John Aitkenhead sending in an illustration for publication- The photo was taken by Ian Wood, another Kilquhanity teacher
Mike Kerr also supervised the construction the Canadian-style log cabin around the early 1960s, which he had been proud to mention, in 1962. It had an under-floor entrance that took advantage of an underground shelter made by an earlier generation
The Log cabin, according to Sam Booth
Michael Bartholomew, in an article in Anarchy dated 1962 included the following:
As I walked past the Junior Common Room in the Log Cabin, smoke was billowing from the windows and kids were shouting instructions and counter-instructions to each other as they coped with a blocked-up chimney. The junior common room is a log cabin in the trees near the house and was built by the kids and a teacher who had experience of cabin-building in Russia. It is a fine affair, not skimped, with windows, properly pitched roof and pot-bellied stove. An enormous amount of gear at Kilquhanity is built by the staff and kids and is often of a surprisingly high standard. The design too, is often remarkably original and effective.
And later at a Council meeting:
Next, the Junior common Room report. A cracked beam is reported; John A takes responsibility for repairing it. A kid reports a chair was left near to the fire and caught fire. The two kids who had taken it outside and thrown it into the pond (where it still lay) are rewarded with spontaneous applause.
The Dug-out Canoe
He is also associated with the construction of a Polynesian style Canoe. The end result was a sort of catamaran that one would associate with Indonesia or Polynesia.
The origin of Mike Kerr’s Canoe, however, was a large log that had fallen off a tree that stood relatively close to the Lodge. As can be seen from the top photograph the idea seems to have been to shape the bow and stern and then carefully hollow out a side of the log.
The above appears to be a celebratory photo of the finished canoe with Mike Kerr and his squad of pupils in front of the Lodge, all wearing the same clothes as in the first photo.
The next step was to take the take the boat and test it for sea-worthiness. The sea being quite a distance from the School, Kerr must have chosen the next best thing – a suitably nearby loch. In fact, I think it was only on one occasion that the dug-out canoe went to sea. That was at Douglas Hall on the Solway coast, south of Dalbeattie. I was there and can confirm that it floated just as well as it had on the Loch. Not particularly surprising really,
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Whether this was the very first launch of the Canoe I cannot say. I can't make out Mike Kerr in any of the photos, but most of the pupils shown, look as if they belong to the same age group as took part in its construction.
A rather younger set of pupils appear to be involved in this second set of Photos shown below.
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And finally another set of photos of the dug-out canoe.
The fellow sitting at the back on this one, is I think, another teach
Incidentally, several other craft were constructed in Kilquhanity over the years one of which was the Kayak shown below. It was constructed by Gavin Aitkenhead and Steve Winning. Following their initials it was known as GASW.
