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Barrhead, Scotland residents wants to tighten relationship between communities

A Barrhead man truly believes that a person doesn’t have to be born in a town to care about their town. The only thing is, Trevor Downer lives in Barrhead, Scotland, not Barrhead, Alberta.

A Barrhead man truly believes that a person doesn’t have to be born in a town to care about their town.

The only thing is, Trevor Downer lives in Barrhead, Scotland, not Barrhead, Alberta. Downer contacted the Leader via the Internet, because he is trying to establish a better relationship between the two communities.

Downer was born in 1937 in Worthing, Sussex, England. When he was 20 years old, he left and moved to London hoping to be the next big rock and roll star (it never happened). He left London in 1960 and went to Glasgow, Scotland, for a holiday, where he met a local girl, Sarah, and married her. They moved to Barrhead in 1962, where Downer spent the next 49 years of his life making the community his home. There, he had three sons, six grandchildren and one great granddaughter. His wife died of cancer in 2003.

“I became involved in as much of Barrhead as I had time for,” he said. His resume includes the local Parent/Teacher Association, politics, a gala committee, community council, among other things from time to time. “I believe that everyone should involve themselves in their town to help the town and create the history of the town.”

Barrhead, Scotland, is the main town in the local council authority of East Renfrewshire. Its population is around 20,000 people.

Downer first obtained a second-hand computer in 2004 and taught himself how to use it. In 2006, he put together his first website, and things took off from there. Downer has created a number of other websites, including one on his hometown.

After Googling his own Barrhead, Downer said he realized that although there were quite a few items about the town that were of interest, they were specifically about a single place or item and many were a long time out of date.

He decided to try and build a site that would bring together all that information in one place, and provide links to further information that would give greater details. At the same time, he wanted to get an historical document that would show Barrhead in 2010.

It was at this time that he stumbled upon Barrhead, Alta., and then did a further search for more details.

He said he was surprised that the two towns were not twinned, especially when he came across the fact this Barrhead was named after the Scottish town of Barrhead, the birthplace of one of the area’s early settlers, James McGuire.

He questioned what James McGuire had done to earn him the honour of having a town named after him.

“I was aware that there was the name James McGuire on the cenotaph in Cowan park, and, in my political life, I had stood for the Regional Council against James McGuire during the 1980s,” he said. “There has to be a connection that so far I have been unable to discover.”

He said and wondered if anyone in the Alberta may have family knowledge about James McGuire.

“I was also surprised that both Barrheads are twinned with Tokoro, Japan, but our reason is based on the game of curling as the Japanese Olympic curling team came from Tokoro. I would dearly like to see a closer relationship with the two Barrheads,” he said. “In the past, this would have been arranged by the town councillors, but we no longer have these.”

Today, Barrhead has representatives on the East Renfrewshire Council, and, although, they obviously have an interest in the town, party politics seems to be their first consideration, Downer said.

“I feel that Barrhead is becoming just a small part of East Renfrewshire and possibly losing some of its identity. That would be a shame as my sons and their families were born in the town, and it is their history.”

Downer said if he can present enough facts and get the support of his local newspaper, The Barrhead News, then he may be able to influence an increased interest in a more solid relationship between both Barrheads.

Barrhead, Scotland, town councillor Douglas Yates said Downer’s idea of forging links between the two communities is not a new one. Yates said he has been linking with this town for more than 15 years.

“I would like to see the towns twinned, but I realize there are practicalities which have to be considered,” Yates said. “There is, for example, the question of costs in setting this up and how in practical terms we can establish exchange groups whether business or civic or educational. In these austere times there is a real financial challenge.”

Yates is councillor for Ward 2, East Renfrewshire. Ward 2 comprises the whole town of Barrhead. He was born in the tiny hamlet of Shilford located four miles west of Barrhead. He has lived in the area the whole of his 65 years, actually residing in the town for more than 40 of those years.

“I have a keen interest in my community and have been an activist in the community for most of that time,” he said.

His accomplishments include setting up and chairing a victim support service, chairing a community service company, chairing Barrhead’s Gala committee, chairing Barrhead Community Council, setting up and chairing a disability action group and setting up East Renfrewshire University of the Third Age (U3A) among other things.

Yates said the reason he is so involved in his community is the fact he is determined to leave a lasting legacy of improved parks and open space, additional affordable housing which is also suitable for people with disabilities, and improved infrastructure for including a new college, health-care centre and retail and business premises for the residents of Barrhead.

As Deputy Leader of East Renfrewshire Council, he said he also has responsibility for health, social care and social justice, but also has national responsibilities which allow him ample opportunities to meet regularly with Scottish government ministers and heads of national organizations.

Yates explained that he is one of 20 councillors in East Renfrewshire, and four of those councillors are elected to serve the community of Barrhead.

East Renfrewshire was born out of boundary changes and is only about 16 years old. Even before that, contact took place between civic leaders in Barrhead, Scotland and Barrhead,Alta., he said.

“I well remember a well-known local councillor and former Provost of Barrhead (Provost is equivalent to the title of Mayor and is a Scottish office) Jimmy McGuire (now deceased) visited Barrhead, Alta., and returned to report to the Council that Barrhead, Alta., was a rural community where most of the residents were descended from immigrant families. He was not related to the James McGuire from Barrhead, Scotland, who founded Barrhead, Alta.”

Jimmy McGuire returned to Scotland from Barrhead, Alta., bearing civic gifts which remain with the council, Yates said, and added to his recollection, one of those gifts was a large vase/urn which was displayed in the former council chambers.

Yates said to his understanding, this Barrhead was named after James McGuire’s hometown when he had won a wager in a game of chance with a friend.

As a result of his victory in this game, McGuire claimed to right to name Barrhead after his home town in Scotland.

In more recent years, Yates said his local council has communicated with civic leaders here in Barrhead, Alta., through a video link (about nine or 10 years ago) after encouragement from himself to establish more formal links. Also, within the last two years, he welcomed and gave a civic reception to a delegation from Barrhead, Alta., led by Edie Yuill.

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