Hello and Welcome to Once Upon A Time In The Muirton.
This is another belter of an episode.
Ramsay was born in his granny's house in Ainslie Place in 1969. The youngest of 3 brothers. His mum from Perth and his dad from Lebanon.
The stories he has generously shared with us for this episode are a mixture of funny, graphically honest and passionate.
The time we spent with Ramsay was special, from his sharing the items he has managed to keep over the years - each with a story attached - and the memories he has of living in Beirut, the USA and of course his love for Perth and how the trips 'home' to his granny's every year has led to lifelong friendships.
So, put the kettle on, have a cuppa and sit back in your comfy chair.
Happy Listening. Enjoy.
Dunks & Barney
Hello and thanks for tuning in to this latest episode of Once Upon A Time In The Muirton.
We had the pleasure of meeting Peter and his brother Ally at the November 2023 Muirton Reunion.
Peter was born in Muirton in the year 1940. One of the original Muirton bairns.
His recollections of the characters fae Muirton and Perth is vividly and fondly told.
His passion for Ice Hockey, originating at Dunkeld Road Ice rink, from when he was a young boy continues to this day in his 80's.
Put yer kettle on, grab your favourite packet of biscuits and happy listening. Enjoy.
Dunks and Barney
Welcome to your latest episode of Once Upon A Time In The Muirton.
Dunks and I recently had the pleasure of spending time with the wonderful Ally Stirton and Fiona Green.
They have been on our radar for some time and this episode is another cracker.
Two streets are represented - Ainslie Place and Malvina Place.
You will hear stories of large families, Chippie Vans, Knife Sharpeners,
Budgies, tropical fish, dogs, pigs head and tripe.
You'll get to hear about 3 lads from Muirton who saved a bloke from the River Tay. Ally received the Andrew Carnegie medal for his bravery (after some debate with the local polis about a missing carry oot)
We know you'll love this episode as much as we did spending time with them both.
Put the kettle on, grap your favourite packet of biscuits and Happy listening, Enjoy.
Dunks and Barney.
Welcome to our wrap up of the year.
2023 has had plenty of great memories and a few sad moments with the loss of some auld Muirton Bairns. We think we have captured the essence of the last 12 months in this final episode of 2023.
Thank-you to everyone who supports our podcast by taking part, listening and sharing the stories of Once Upon A Time In The Muirton. Your stories are important, deserving to be told and heard.
We are looking forward very much to more of the same next year.
Wishing you all the happiest of Christmas with peace and love for 2024.
Dunks and Barney
https://www.culturepk.org.uk/news/muirton-exhibition-given-new-home-online/
https://open.spotify.com/show/2z9Qnj7AI0xmW4bilmwvfW?si=bf01f07de443419a
Our latest guest is the wonderful John McCole.
The beginning of this episode is a 4 minute recording of a phone call with John recalling a memory with his mum before you get to the main episode which is another belter.
John has lived in many places around the world including America, Germany and now Australia is home. However his formative years are rooted in The Muirton from a new born in 1963 until the family moved to another part of Perth in 1971.
He tells the story of how his mum and dad as youngsters, traveled to Scotland from Ireland looking for work and eventually ended up in Perth. As the family grew the need for a bigger home eventually led them to 22D Ainslie Place in 1963 and John was born just a few months after.
John has many vivid memories from when he lived in The Muirton and he still has the same friends today that he made as a boy over 50 years ago.
John's humour and fondness for The Muirton is infectious in this episode and we're confident you'll be smiling and laughing along with us as you watch or listen.
Happy Listening, Enjoy.
Dunks & Barney
In this third part of our school trilogy the kids are now in Riverside Primary.
Dunks and me had the pleasure of hearing the kids share there first thoughts of the new school and talk about their first few days experiences at Riverside Primary.
Thanks again go to Mrs Gibb for facilitating this session and making it all possible.
Naturally, a huge thanks go to the kids that took part: Holly, Sasha, Alex, Murray, Fraser, Ruben, Ivy, Harper, Mia, Lucy, Marsellina, Nicole and Sophia. You have all been brilliant.
We've captured an important moment in time for Perth. The closure of two iconic schools with over 160 years of educating kids between them. That's a load of emotions and memories.
Now it's the time of Riverside Primary to create new memories for today and generations to come.
Good luck to everyone involved.
Happy Listening, Enjoy.
Dunks and Barney
Welcome to this, second part of our school trilogy.
This time we have gone outside of our usual stomping ground and find ourselves in North Muirton, a scheme built in the late 1960's early 1970's and the Primary school opened in 1977.
46 years later the decison was made to close North Muirton and Balhouise Primary, bringing pupils from both schools together in a new modern primary called Riverside. Which you will hear a little more about in part 3.
With every podcast it is made possible because of the people who take part, thank-you very much to Sophia, Rubin, Harper, Lexi, Lily, Holly, Harper, Kimberley, Ollie, Mason, Ethan, Millie, Isabella and Steph, Marie and Mandy, you were all brilliant.
It was a great pleasure hearing memories of their time at North Muirton Primary and a few things the kids think will be the same at the new school.
One thing that came through is the fondness for the school is just as strong in North Muirton as it is for those of us that went to Northern/Balhousie Primary. Bringing together two communities in a new space means new memories being created together which can be looked back on in years to come.
Happy Listening, Enjoy.
Dunks and Barney
Listen to voices of of the kids as they share a few thoughts just a few days after their experience of the newest Primary School in Perth Riverside Primary School, North Muirton.
Hello folks, here's a little audio trailer for upcoming episode... with Tony Quinn Steve McKechnie and Mark Sandeman - it was a great catch-up a few weeks back and the full episode will be with you very soon... Cheers, Dunks and Barney
The time has come - after 115 years Northern District / Balhousie Primary School has closed it's doors for the last time as a school. We have had the pleasure and the privilege of having regular access to the school over the last 18 months or so.
Originally named due to it's location on the Northern edge of Perth. 30 years later families began to move into a new local authority housing scheme called The Muirton.
Thousands of kids have gone through the iron gates and this episode you get to hear from some of the last ever kids to be able to say they were pupils at Balhousie Primary school.
This episode is in two parts - first you will hear from Lianne Gibb who was principle teacher at Balhousie through transition. Lianne shares her thoughts from a teachers perspective of what Balhousie means and what goes into getting kids, parents and teachers ready for the new school in North Muirton. (which is a fabulous new education space called Riverside Primary).
Then you get to hear from the kids - thank-you to Julia, Lucy, Marselina, Nicole, Oliver, Meah, Murray, Sasha, Alex, Fraser and Harry. They shared some of their favourite memories of the school and thoughts on going to the new Primary in North Muirton called Riverside
I was also joined by friend of the Podcast and previous guest, Brian Mcarthur, we shared a little of our memories when it was called the Northern.
It's been an absolute pleasure to have spent time at the school and for us to be involved closely in it's final months and days.
Happy Listening, Enjoy.
Dunks and Barney
Twitter - of new school Riverside Primary: @Riverside_Perth Twiiter - Once Upon A Time In The Muirton: @TheMuirton1
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/groups/275795401238996/ Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/@onceuponatimeinthemuirton9891
This is a live recording straight from the gym hall of Northern District / Balhousie Primary school on the morning of Saturday 25th of February.
The school has served the community since 1908 closes this year and the Open Morning was an opportunity for auld pupils to visit and walk the corridors one last time. The school put on an amazing display with photographs and artifacts available for people to look through as well as being able to explore the building.
It's fair to say that it was an amazing turnout with generations of auld pupils coming from far and wide. There was even a live stream for those unable to make it which was watched by people as far afield as New Zealand. Proving how important community, childhood and education are in peoples lives.
As a primary school it had 20 classrooms. There were a couple of outbuildings which operated as classrooms, dining hall, changing space for the lollipop folk and eventually storage before being demolished. In addition St Ninians Primary School on Dunkeld Road was used as the Annexe for the Northern. Class sizes regularly exceed 33+ pupils and at times there would be 3 primary classes for each year - illustrating just how many kids attended the school from The Muirton, Hunters, Tulloch, North Muirton and other surrounding areas. (Tulloch Primary was built late 1960's, North Muirton Primary was built in the mid 1970's)
Auld acquaintances were reconnected as people stopped and shared memories, some we have captured in this audio and there will also be video content available later in the year of a few folk sharing memories.
Many thanks to Annabelle Burns, David Scott and Lianne Gibb for making it all possible.
Happy Listening, Enjoy.
Dunks and Barney.
https://youtu.be/_3CS0S-RF5M - Youtube Bairns O The Northern song
https://www.facebook.com/groups/648376040355634/ - Facebook Northern District/Balhousie Primary School Past Pupils
https://www.facebook.com/groups/275795401238996/ - Facebook Once Upon A Time In The Muirton
https://www.facebook.com/groups/auldmuirtonbairns/ - Facebook Auld Muirton Bairns
https://www.facebook.com/groups/137051633046307/ - Facebook Auld Perth Bairns
@TheMuirton1 - Twitter
#Social Commentary, #Oral History, #Community, #School Days,
This is a lovely poem that LIz Lamond has written remembering her times at Northern Primary School. The school had an Open Morning on the 25th of February which Dunks recites live.
The school, renamed Balhousie Primary, is due to close this year and a fuller podcast from the Open Morning is in the edit room being readied for your listening pleasure 😁👍
Happy Listening, Enjoy.
Dunks and Barney
Welcome to the last episode of 2022.
This is Dunks and Barney signing off with our final episode. We hope you enjoy as we have a bit of banter - washed down with tequila and beer :-)
This year has been amazing for Once Upon A Time In The Muirton. Listening numbers continue to grow, the work with the Museum has been a great success, a brilliant creative writing workshop and involvement with the final months of Balhousie / Northern Primary school just some of the highlights.
Thank-you to every single one of you for being a part of Once Upon A Time In The Muirton. We hope Christmas has been amazing and that 2023 brings you all health and happiness!
2022 was a big year for our wee podcast and we aim to make 2023 even bigger.
Slàinte Mhath
Dunks and Barney
Thank-you for choosing this latest podcast. You may recognise the surname Armour. Albert is the older brother of Kathleen and younger brother of Leta from episode 17.
It is important to note that this is our very first international podcast - Albert in Western Australia and Kathleen was on the Eastern side while we recorded from the Fair City of Perth.
The family moved to 95B Dunkeld Road in 1938 - Albert was only 4 months old, not much older than the new Muirton Housing scheme. Albert has outlived the bricks and mortar of the place he fondly called home and in this episode he shares his memories as a bairn during WWII, his experiences of The Perth Panthers Ice Hockey and Saint Johnstone's highs and lows at Muirton Park. Both of which were only yards from his family home.
You'll hear stories of Alberts first job as delivery boy for a local butchers, how his brother taught him to dive at the local baths. You'll also get to hear about The Original 'hand of god' goal and much, much more.
These stories are shared by Albert and Kathleen with warmth, fondness and as always with our guests, plenty of humour.
It has been an absolute pleasure to spend time with 3 members of one of the original Muirton families and we hope you enjoy this episode as much as we have had recording it.
Happy Listening. Enjoy.
Dunks and Barney
Below are a few links of reference from Albert's experiences.
https://www.britishicehockeyhalloffame.com/index.php/players/jimmy-spence
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muirton_Park
Twitter - @TheMuirton1
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/groups/275795401238996/
A very warm welcome to our latest podcast that shares life from a housing scheme in Muirton. Like all of our episodes this is a very special listen.
Possibly the most personal yet, as it features one of your hosts. Dunks and his mum Marlene.
***WARNING*** This episode does have reference to domestic violence, substance abuse and other sensitive topics.
At the start of this episode you'll hear friend of the podcast John McLiesh read a poem he has written after we had Creative Writing workshop with renowned author Natalie Jayne Clark https://twitter.com/nataliejayclark - poetry amd prose are really important to helping tell the story of life in Muirton.
Our intro lasts about 20 minutes before you get to hear our main guest. Marlene Duncan.
Marlene was born in 1937 and moved to Ainslie Gardens in Muirton in 1962/3.
Marlene has had a rich tapestry of a life. Moving to Muirton from a hostel with few material belonings and a bagful of tenacity and independence.
This episode covers the life of a single mum and you'll hear about Marlene's tenaciousness and strength not to be defeated or accept what the society of the time deemed to be acceptable. Marlene is a lady of humour, straight talking and has the temperment of a lioness where her family is concerned.
You will love the laughs and honesty Marlene shares as her and son Dunks chat about life in a scheme called Muirton.
Happy listening and Enjoy
Follow us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/275795401238996/
Follow us on Twitter @TheMuirton1
Hello and thank-you for joining our latest podcast. This time we had the pleasure of spending time with sisters Kathleen and Leta Armour.
Kathleen lives in Australia now and was in Perth visiting her older sisters Leta, 92 and Betty who is 100.
Their growing family moved from 3 Hawarden Terrace in Perth to 95B Dunkeld Road in 1938. Which is the very beginning of the homes in Muirton being occupied. Not only that their grandfather James Macgregor was the Clerk of Works for Muirton and other building projects in and around Perth.
Leta was 8 when they moved to Dunkeld road with 3 brothers and 2 other sisters. Kathleen is the youngest of the family and was born a few years later in 1944 and lived there until she got married.
Kathleen and Leta will take you on a journey from the early days of Muirton up to the 1970's.
We also had the privilege to film Kathleen and Leta for the documentary we are putting together and David took part in the conversation in the first part of this episode.
This is an important episode as it takes us right back to the beginning of Muirton and we believe you'll enjoy the stories Kathleen and Leta share.
Happy Listening, Enjoy.
Dunks, Barney & David
Once Upon A Time In The Muirton https://www.facebook.com/groups/275795401238996/
Hello everyone, sorry it’s taken a wee bit longer than planned to get this latest podcast out for your listening pleasure. We’re sure you’ll agree after a listen it’s worth the wait. 😊
In this episode you get to hear from 2 long-standing friends of 52 YEARS and counting, Omar Dafalla and John McLeish. They are both lovely storytellers. We did a bit of filming and podcasting with these Auld Muirton Bairns which is why the sound fluctuates a couple of times. But it takes nothing away from the quality of Omar and Johns retelling of their time growing up in Muirton.
You’ll hear about Racism, Scone Aerodrome, Cross 70 bike, Muirton Park, Andy Robbins, Hercules The Bear, Kendo Nagasaki, Big Daddy, Giant Haystacks, Cappy Oswald, Garden Olympics,dead man’s fall ,polio jags, lumps of sugar, fray bentos pies and much, much more.
Happy Listening, Enjoy.
Dunks and Barney
