A St Kildan looks back 30/7/10
Although many accounts have been written about St Kilda and its history, new information, new photographs and stories continue to appear from a variety of sources. But the authentic voices of those who were native to the Island remain largely silent.
A new book helps redress the balance. It is the remarkable story of Calum MacDonald, who was born on St Kilda in 1908, and lived there until he was sixteen, when he left prior to the evacuation for Harris.
He tells the story of a hard life earning a living from the inhospitable land, but there is another story too: one of closeness, kindness, spirituality and humour.
Calum’s life was to take twists and turns he could never have dreamt of during his childhood on the island, but throughout his later career in great houses and a top London hotel he was always mindful of his origins.
He said: “All my life I have been very fortunate because I was born among a small community of Christian belief, who lived and shared their lives as a whole, not as a unit. Our closeness was partly due to kinship and isolation from the outside world.”
This publication is a fitting contribution to the celebration of the 80th anniversary of the evacuation of St Kilda.
From Cleits to Castles; A St Kildan Looks Back’ is available from The Islands Book Trust.