groundsmen/gardeners who carry out all the required work.” “I have responsibility for the
management of five football pitches, one rugby pitch, one bowling green, one equestrian area and a 9 hole golf course. We also provide a maintenance service to ten other community run rural football pitches. As part of my work I also look after seventy-four childrens’ play areas and fourteen multicourts throughout the isles.” “The golf course is, perhaps, our most unusual facility. ‘The Knab’ is a fairly basic public facility. It’s a short course, ideal really for a round of pitch and putt. There are no charges or course fees and there is no membership policy. So, it is completely free for anyone to turn up and use. The course has evolved over a number of years after the land was donated to the council by a local land owner over a century ago. In order to keep the course as a public facility, the council agreed to subsidise all maintenance and upkeep.” “As well as the maintenance of all the playing surfaces, part of my job role is looking for play areas and multi courts to develop. My Civil Engineering Degree from Glasgow Caledonian University has helped enormously. Other than that I
don’t have any, what you might call, ‘professional’ qualifications other than my hands-on experience.”
So, how does machinery and supplies get onto the islands? “Obviously, where we are situated makes it more difficult, time consuming and expensive in acquiring equipment and spare parts, but the transport infrastructure (ferries and flights) to and from Shetland is very good, so it’s not really a major issue. There is also a number of very good engineering companies in the islands who can undertake repairs and have the necessary contacts to help source and supply spare parts.” “We have a great relationship with our dealers, Garriock Bros, have supplied us with numerous items of equipment. This is a very important part of island life, to have a good relationship with people who, at the end of the day, can help you. They are a very reputable local company that don’t just sell equipment, but carry out the maintenance as well. Importantly, they also know the climatic conditions. It is so wet here and very small, so nowhere is too far from the salty air of the sea.” Garriock Bros is the seventh largest company on the isles and, typical of
remote companies, offer a range of services that include civil engineering, house building, plant hire, contract crushing, window manufacturing as well as machinery sales. Perhaps surprisingly, Shetland is their headquarters and they also have branches in Orkney and Edinburgh.
How is the machinery utilised - is there dedicated machinery at each site or does it all get moved around from job to job? “It’s a mix of both” added Magnus. “We have dedicated equipment, such as pedestrian mowers and strimmers, at each facility plus general tractor mounted equipment which can be used on all areas. We use a fairly wide range of equpment manufacturers - Valtra and Kubota tractors, a Charterhouse VertiDrian aerator, Ransomes gang mowers, Ransomes Superbowl mowers, SISIS scarifiers and slitters, a Ryan corer and Ryan topdresser.” “The vagaries of the weather have a huge effect on our work patterns. The vast majority of outdoor sport in Shetland takes place during the summer months between April and September. Obviously, the weather during the winter is harsher (wet and windy) but the main restrictive
9
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132