Well it may seem a bit odd with all this water falling out of the sky to be talking about saving water. However, as I am learning from our Scottish Water Saving Campaign, all our water must be piped to Perth, treated and then pumped back up here again which uses a huge amount of electricity irrespective of the rainfall. You’ll see from the thermometer at the bottom of this page that we are making progress – so far collectively saving 58,000 litres of water. So, all our efforts are making a difference. Please keep saving every drop you can and make sure you are employing all the water saving gadgets given to us by Scottish Water. I’m pleased to report that my hippo-in-the-loo seems very happy. If you missed your freebie pack you can get one sent to you.
How exciting to have our very own Book Festival! We certainly have the artistic talent to deserve one and I wish the Festival every success. Getting something like this going without any previous years’ experience is always particularly hard work so many congratulations to the organisation group on getting all the preparations made. Let’s hope this is the first of many Book Festivals to come.
Last Christmas I was amazed at how many friends contacted me to ask if I had seen the video of deer walking down Dunkeld High Street in the snow.  It was a magical sight. However, deer on the roads, particularly in the winter month, present a danger to the deer and to road users. If anyone is interested in how the deer population can be managed in a way that reduces danger for them and us then why not go along to join in with discussion at the Deer Management Forum on the 7th November. It’s also a reminder to us all to take extra care on the roads what with all the dark nights, water splashing and sploshing everywhere and then the deer. Maybe safer to stay inside with one of the books picked up at the Festival?

Sally Robertson

At 11:00 am on November 11th this year it will be exactly 100 years since the end of the First World War. It was described as “the war to end all wars”. If only that were true!
I will be proudly wearing my medals and laying a poppy wreath in remembrance of those who made the ultimate sacrifice for democracy in this war and indeed, all wars and conflicts since. For me it is also a time to reflect on the loss of personal friends and colleagues who never came home.
If you are a serving or former member of our armed forces, I can highly recommend that you obtain a copy of “Veterans First”. It is produced by the armed forces community and SSAFA in conjunction with Perth and Kinross Council. It is full of very useful information, advice and contacts. If you have difficulty obtaining a copy, please let me know and I will make sure that you get one.
The Forestry commission recently announced that they would be disposing of Taymount and Five mile woods from their portfolio. A project group was formed with the desire to obtain the woods under the Community Asset Transfer scheme (CATS). After discussions with the West Stormont Historical society, the group have decided that they will be a community controlled body called The West Stormont Woodland Group (WSWG). I wish them well in their pursuit of this wonderful community facility. They have a Facebook page and I’m sure that they will be delighted to hear from anyone wishing to help or volunteer.
With British summertime coming to an end and the clocks going back an hour, it is probably a timely reminder to keep an eye out for the elderly and infirm members of our community. It costs nothing to be neighbourly. A knock on the door occasionally means a lot to those living on their own, it is very often the only time that they will speak to someone. Be the one to make a difference.
As always, if you have any questions or issues that you would like me to help with, then please contact me on 07557 815546 or ijames@pkc.gov.uk.

Councillor Ian James

‘Lest we forget’ 
We hear this expression especially in remembrance ceremonies related to past wars. On the 11 minute of the 11 hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918 the day of the Armistice, a day which was supposed to bring to an end all wars.  I am writing this article today lest we forget those who have shed their blood all over the world in so many tragic wars. We want to keep their memory alive because even though many of these men who gave their lives for a cause have long since gone, their memory is very important to the message of life today. Why is it important for us not to forget what happened a 100 years ago?
1. Firstly, may we never forget that wars never solve problems. On the contrary they create more hatred, which often lasts for generations and very often causes much more suffering, wars and death. Wars are only and always a human tragedy which never justify the blood shed of one single human being created in the image and likeness of God and loved by God as a son or daughter. War never justifies the tears shed by one mother or father for their son, or a wife’s tears for her husband or a children’s tears for their dad. War brings out the most negative aspects of our human frailty and destroys all that is positive and beautiful not only around us but also in us. War makes us forget that we are all brothers and sister, sons and daughters of a loving God that is delighted when He sees us loving and caring about each other.  I am writing this article because I want to invite you who is reading it to become a missionary of peace; this is the best memorial that we can make to all those whose blood soaked the earth. May their blood bring forth peace and love amongst the nations.
2. Secondly, if we want to become missionaries of peace in our world today, we need to understand what peace is. What is peace? It is very important to understand that peace is not lack of war. Peace means considering every human being a brother or sister and treating them thus; peace is the result of every human being living the most fundamental of human ethical principles, that is, ‘Do to others what you like to be done to you and don’t do to others what you don’t like to be done to you’. Peace is the result of real love, that love which means overcoming our inclination to egoism and caring for each other. Love is living our own life to its fullness by donating it. This is one of the greatest of all mysteries in this life, that is the more we are egoistic and think only about ourselves and our needs, the more we lose the meaning of life and live in sadness. On the other hand the more we manage to overcome our egoism and give ourselves generously the more we live a happy life. So true peace is a result of true love and true love brings about true peace.
3. Thirdly, to be a missionary of peace does not only mean to denounce any form of violence and war, but to work to bring about peace wherever we are, in our families, with our friends, at the place of work or entertainment, everywhere. Conflicts start very often in our little world, and if we are not messengers of peace in this little world how can we bring about peace in the greater one? A missionary of peace smiles to everyone not only to the people he likes. A missionary of peace helps everyone not only the people of his race and colour. A missionary of peace loves everyone not only those who love him. If we only love those who love us we are not doing anything special, we are still on the level of eye for eye and tooth for tooth. Violence very often comes as a result of this mentality. So true peace and a missionary of peace has to be able to forgive. Yes to forgive those who hurt you, to love those who are not able to show you any love. True love cannot exist without the ability to forgive and ask for forgiveness. This is the type of peace that we want to herald on this very important anniversary.
4. Finally, I believe true peace starts from the heart. Peace is an inside job, and if I don’t have peace in my heart how can I be a messenger/missionary of peace? Peace of heart is a result of being at peace with oneself and one’s history, peace of heart is a result of the ability not to let the negativity that very often comes from the outside get in us and rot our hearts. Peace of heart is the ability to enjoy silence and the beauty of nature. Above all it means the ability to stay with just the company of yourself and enjoy it or if you’re a believer being with God, alone with the alone. True peace starts from the heart. So again, we want to declare ‘Lest we forget’ not just a look back on our history to remember those who lost their lives in so many wars, but may we above all become true messengers of peace starting from our heart. Yes, ‘Lest we forget’.

Fr Edward Vella