Orkney Image Library

Can anybody remember when Gordon and Eeny left Fara and moved tae Millbay? I thought they were out o Fara before 64. Gordon was a brother of my Grandad, who farmed Garson in Longhope.

I believe Ina or "Ennack o Fara" as I have heard here called was one off the well known McKay family who taught boat building to the most of other boat builders in Orkney- and indeed the renouned Stroma Yole builders came over to learn there skills from boat builders in Fara. I believe there were three diferant boat builders in Fara all working full out at one time. Gordon offered Fara to his nephew and another young man from Longhope for £800 when they visited him around 1960. They thought it more than they could manage!!!.

Quote from John Bulmer, who visited Fara to provide story for Sunday Times, along with writer, the late Eric Newby, "I remember my time on Fara well, and the Watters- in fact they tried to sell me the island for £500. I went back years later to the oil terminal nearby and was told the island had changed hands for a million! Eric Newby described parts of our trip in a book on his travels, I forget the name.
I remember there were two households on the island, the Watters on one end and two ladies (Ida Woodham & Meg Peckham) the other, with a phone box in the middle. We were tempted to use the phone, almost like a collecting box- it was so loved and polished. Both families were loathe to be photographed at first. The Watters relented when I helped fix the engine of his boat, and the ladies when I tried to help her learn the violin which I played as a child.
I also remember going across to the pub in Mr Watters rowing boat one night- we nearly didn’t make it back when the wind got up".

I've been informed by their daughter Ivy that Gordon & Ina Watters left Fara in 1966.

The Erc Newby book featuring the Watters is 'A Travellers Life'. I met the Watters in their house in Mill Bay in the mid 1970's, Jackie Irvine took me to visit them at Hogmanay. Their house had a box bed and was very simple and plain. I was very pleased to see this photo, as I do not remember them very well. I look forward to reading Newby's book, now on order. I never knew he had been there, I am interested in their life on Fara with the two women.

In 1976 Myself & 11 other soldiers were deposited on Fara on a SAS surival excercise, we had to exist for two weeks. Thats all we did exist wind I never known such we built a shelter 2 of us out of our groundsheets then held them down with bolders . Which were blown off like pebbles. Two weeks of eating stinging nettles, sandy sheel fish & seagulls eggs.

How fascinating.It must have been incredibly hard to exist on such meager rations. Do you have any pictures? Who took you across in a boat and from where? Are you on facebook?

Ivy is now a resident in St Rognvald's House
Residential Care Home in Kirkwall, Orkney. I have been chatting with her recently and writing down what she remembers of her childhood on Fara. I would be delighted to get in touch with you Mr Evans and can be contacted by email, or on my mobile which is 07597-336744.