Leslie Howarth, former managing director at Campbeltown Shipyard Ltd talking to the children at Dalintober Primary School, Campbeltown. Photo courtesy of Jan Nimmo.
One of the aims of SKDT’s Top Skippers’ Choice project was to reach out to local primary schools and to engage in some intergenerational work, so we took the project to both Castlehill and Dalintober Primary Schools on Monday 2nd September and Wednesday the 4th September, respectively. Former shipyard employees, Arthur Crossan (Apprentice then Plater/Welder) Leslie Howarth (Managing Director), and Bobby Wylie (Naval Architect and CAD Operator) were invited along to share their knowledge and stories with staff and pupils. After a brief introduction to Top Skippers’ Choice by project coordinator, Jan Nimmo, the three men spoke about the history of the yard and about their working lives there. This was followed by a slide show of images related to the yard and a question and answer session with the pupils. The pupils came from P6 and P7 and between the two schools, just over 100 children attended.
Arthur Crossan, Leslie Howarth and Bobby Wylie at Castlehill Primary School, Campbeltown. Photo courtesy of Jan Nimmo.
Arthur Crossan, former plater/welder and Leslie Howarth, former managing director talking to the children of Dalintober Primary School, Campbeltown. Photo courtesy of Jan Nimmo.
P7s from Castlehill Primary School, Campbeltown, with Leslie Howarth, Bobby Wylie and Arthur Crossan. Photo courtesy of Jan Nimmo.
Following on from this, Jan Nimmo, who also works as a professional artist, worked with P7s to decorate “Launch Day” bunting which will form a part of the Top Skippers’ Choice exhibition in February 2020. The children looked at images related to the launches at the yard at Trench Point and were give a variety of photos of Campbeltown-built boats to do line drawings from. These drawings were then transferred onto fabric using acrylic paint pens, which were then applied to specially commissioned bunting.
Dalintober Primary School – Observational line drawing. Photo courtesy of Jan Nimmo.
Drawing with acrylic paint pens onto fabric at Castlehill Primary School, Campbeltown. Photo courtesy of Jan Nimmo.
Detail of launch day bunting. Photo courtesy of Jan Nimmo.
Both schools plan to continue working on a Campbeltown Shipyard theme and SKDT are offering them a platform to share this work on the Top Skippers’ Choice website, so we very much look forward to seeing what the children discover though the course of this and sharing that with you.
During the exhibition at Campbeltown Town Hall in February, the children will be invited come along for a guided tour.
I really enjoyed my visits to Castlehill and Dalintober Schools – the the shipyard in Campbeltown was a big part of so many peoples lives and it’s an important part of our local history, so it was good to pass on my experiences, from when I started as a 16 year old apprentice plater/welder, to them. I must say the kids were very good at listening, and asking questions.
Arthur Crossan
The P7 class at Castlehill Primary School, Campbeltown, with their Top Skippers’ Choice “launch day” bunting. Photo courtesy of Jan Nimmo.
I thought the visits were very worthwhile. It was amazing to see the interest that the children had in the shipyard – it obviously meant a lot to them. I was absolutely delighted with the response!
Leslie Howarth
Some of the P7 class at Dalintober Primary School, Campbeltown, with their Top Skippers’ Choice “launch day” bunting. Photo courtesy of Jan Nimmo.
Some of the P7 class at Dalintober Primary School, Campbeltown, with their Top Skippers’ Choice “launch day” bunting. Photo courtesy of Jan Nimmo.
SKDT’s TSC project would like to thank both the staff and pupils from Castlehill and Dalintober for their warm welcome and their hard work and we would also like to extend special thanks to Arthur, Bobby and Les.
The schools are interested in inviting other shipyard employees to talk to the children so if you would like to volunteer to do this the please get in touch.
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