This film dates from the mid to late 1960s and is a fascinating record of a year spent on the island of Papa Stour. The footage takes us through the seasons, capturing daily activities such as delivery of the mail or working on the family croft. The film ends with winter festivities around Halloween and Christmas, incorporating traditions which are still familiar to us today.
Filmed by Dennis and Stella Shepherd. Donated by Chris and Peter Reep.
This film is a fascinating record of life on the remote island of Papa Stour during the 1960s. It incorporates everything from the mail being delivered and harvesting crops, to festive celebrations for Christmas and Halloween. A must watch!
| 00:00:00 | ‘To See Oursels’ – cue card on tartan backdrop |
|---|---|
| 00:00:06 | ‘As Ithers See Us’ – cue card on tartan backdrop |
| 00:00:13 | ‘Round the year on Papa Stour’ – cue card |
| 00:00:18 | View from a boat; snow on hills |
| 00:00:25 | Water lapping on shore |
| 00:00:36 | Ruined building covered in snow |
| 00:00:48 | Dark skies, snow, sheepdog |
| 00:01:16 | Icicles and flowing water |
| 00:02:03 | Water under a bridge/culvert |
| 00:02:19 | Scenery |
| 00:02:43 | Boy playing in snow |
| 00:02:57 | Man and boy rolling large ball of snow |
| 00:03:14 | Dennis and Stella Shepherd playing with sheepdog in the snow. Dennis was Missionary and Stella school teacher |
| 00:03:31 | Ponies in the snow |
| 00:04:16 | Boys holding large piece of ice to the camera |
| 00:04:31 | Dennis Shepherd walking in snow with briefcase |
| 00:04:58 | Dennis Shepherd walking in snow with sack on his back. View up to Hurdiback |
| 00:05:19 | View of the church in snow |
| 00:05:26 | Mail boat in the sea, powered by motor. John Jamieson steering; Johnny Scott (black beard) working engine. |
| 00:05:33 | Mail boat arrives at pier; boxes offloaded |
| 00:06:10 | John Jamieson taking mail up snowy road |
| 00:06:12 | John and Mary Jamieson (siblings) arrive at Papa Stour Post Office with postal sack |
| 00:06:47 | Mary Jamieson leaves Post Office with satchel to deliver mail to school |
| 00:06:54 | Woman walking across hills and fields the mail |
| 00:07:04 | Stella Shepherd receives mail |
| 00:07:29 | Mary Jamieson walking across hills and fields with the mail. Walking to Wirlie (home of Mary Peterson, sister to George P S Peterson) |
| 00:07:51 | Animal prints in snow |
| 00:08:06 | Waves crashing over rocks and cliffs |
| 00:09:00 | Rocky outstack |
| 00:09:12 | Boat (Juniper) run aground |
| 00:09:23 | Boat (Juniper) pushed by sea onto rocks at base of cliff |
| 00:10:03 | Seascape and rocky outcrops |
| 00:11:22 | Hill loch and marshy pools |
| 00:11:39 | Water flowing over stones |
| 00:11:58 | Indoor spring flowers: crocuses, daffodils, narcissi and hyacinth |
| 00:11:37 | Ewes and lambs in sunshine |
| 00:13:02 | Calf and cow in a field |
| 00:13:07 | Two boys (Gordon Jamieson and possibly Billy Jamieson) in a field, picking up chicks from nest |
| 00:13:28 | Two boys and Stella Shepherd looking at nest, picking up chicks |
| 00:13:40 | Boys and Dennis Shepherd at second nest with chick |
| 00:13:51 | Third nest with chick |
| 00:14:13 | Chick running |
| 00:14:24 | Red throated diver on loch, with nest and egg and chick |
| 00:15:15 | Boy feeding lamb from bottle beside native Shetland rose bush |
| 00:15:37 | Boy with calf |
| 00:15:46 | Mary Peterson at Wirlie tethering a calf; traditional practice in Shetland |
| 00:16:14 | Woman with baby and pram |
| 00:16:26 | Mrs Drummond shovelling manure into wheelbarrow and then putting manure onto field |
| 00:16:55 | Two women working with cabbages in field. Jessie Jamieson in blue cardigan |
| 00:17:15 | John Jamieson with ponies and plough, ploughing field |
| 00:17:55 | Man threshing grain (most likely oats) |
| 00:18:10 | Man holding grain. He has unusual tattoos on his hands – star and anchor |
| 00:18:35 | Man ploughing the field with ponies, now using second implement on field |
| 00:19:00 | Sowing oats in the ploughed field |
| 00:19:30 | Johnny Scott ploughing other field with tractor |
| 00:19:55 | Man and woman sowing tatties |
| 00:20:17 | Long shot of croft then another view of sowing tatties |
| 00:20:35 | John Jamieson mending creels |
| 00:20:50 | John Jamieson and (Midsetter) and Johnny Scott taking small punt out to sea |
| 00:21:12 | Close up bow of boat moving through water |
| 00:21:18 | Man in boat wearing oilskins. Other shots from boat |
| 00:21:37 | Red rock; Northmavine |
| 00:21:50 | Line fishing on boat |
| 00:22:00 | View of Foula from boat |
| 00:22:15 | Creel fishing |
| 00:22:47 | Caves and cliffs and views |
| 00:23:25 | Lobsters taken out of creel |
| 00:23:47 | View of ruins on shore |
| 00:23:50 | LK614 Venture at pier. Original ferry used for lobster fishing, before wheelhouse was fitted |
| 00:24:00 | John Jamieson and Johnny Scott working on Venture engine |
| 00:24:13 | Two men and one boy maintaining white and green rowing boat on shore; rudder |
| 00:24:30 | Man working with white and blue rowing boat on beach in Hamnavoe; moving the tilfer |
| 00:24:46 | Kelp, Seabirds, waves and cliffs in Aesha Bay |
| 00:26:35 | Man and woman working in field with sheep dog |
| 00:26:52 | Woman knitting outside house |
| 00:27:15 | Sheepdog playing jacket and ball |
| 00:27:44 | Sunrise over islands |
| 00:27:54 | Four-pot chimney with smoke rising |
| 00:28:06 | Figure walking in the distance across a field |
| 00:28:15 | Gordon Jamieson going to school at Midsetter - walking towards the camera; carrying satchel and smartly dressed |
| 00:28:38 | Gordon opens gate and enters school |
| 00:28:58 | A boy and a girl walk towards the gate and enter school; carrying satchels |
| 00:29:30 | Young girl sitting at desk, getting help with spelling from Stella Shepherd |
| 00:29:37 | Boy reading at a desk |
| 00:29:42 | Boy sitting at desk, using coloured pencils to draw in book |
| 00:29:49 | Feet under desk |
| 00:29:53 | Children and Stella Shepherd running around side of building. Lining up skittles (green plastic bottles with red lids) |
| 00:30:08 | Nine green skittles on a plank, lined up against a wall. Ball thrown at skittles to knock them over |
| 00:30:19 | Children doing forward roll-overs on grass |
| 00:30:30 | Woman throwing ball in the air for children to catch |
| 00:30:38 | Woman swinging rope for children to jump over |
| 00:30:41 | Boy bent over trying to carry skittles – Stella and other boy come to help, before they all go back inside |
| 00:30:50 | Two boys playing recorders and reading music from a stand. Young girl playing the triangle to accompany them |
| 00:31:05 | Close up of boys fingers on recorders |
| 00:31:11 | Close up of girl playing the triangle |
| 00:31:15 | Woman and children playing outside. Woman holding one end of rope, with the other end tied to a wall, and children jumping over |
| 00:31:30 | Height of the rope lowered for little girl to jump over |
| 00:31:36 | Little girl exercising in courtyard |
| 00:32:00 | Man pushing wheelbarrow containing three wooden crates. He delivers them to the school and a woman helps to carry them inside |
| 00:32:30 | Nine people (including Jessie Scott) rooing sheep (pulling wool from sheep) |
| 00:33:22 | Bagging up the wool |
| 00:33:30 | Roo’ed sheep |
| 00:33:33 | Man scything hay at Midsetter |
| 00:33:41 | Woman rooging the cut hay into sheaths and stacks |
| 00:33:53 | Man sharpening the scythe |
| 00:34:03 | Man with tractor beside hay stacks |
| 00:34:08 | Haystack covered with net |
| 00:34:15 | Grass blowing in the wind. Thistle and blue sky |
| 00:34:25 | Tractor with threshing machine on the left side, cutting hay. One man on tractor, one man operating scythe and woman following behind |
| 00:34:41 | Close up of motor/mechanics |
| 00:34:55 | Cut hay coming out the right side of machine. Then more shots of threshing |
| 00:35:25 | Woman stacking sheaves |
| 00:36:06 | Men loading hay by pitchfork onto tractor trailer. John Jamison, Midsetter, standing on haystack |
| 00:36:25 | Man driving tractor and trailer out of field |
| 00:36:30 | Woman and man carrying armfuls of hay and making large stacks behind buildings |
| 00:37:13 | Man and woman walking across field with cows and bulls. Possibly Brian Anderson's father who was planning to buy cows |
| 00:37:46 | Housa Voe, looking on to Gerdi. Small island ferry arrives with wooden landing boat. Men are waiting on beach to help |
| 00:38:00 | Ramp of landing boat lowered. Animals loaded on to landing boat |
| 00:38:20 | Ramp closed securely using screw lock mechanism on each side |
| 00:38:33 | Line thrown from ferry to men in landing boat. Man ties it on for towing |
| 00:38:39 | Ferry and livestock boat sail away |
| 00:38:58 | Camera looks back at people on beach |
| 00:39:09 | View of livestock boat and ferry from a third boat passing by |
| 00:40:00 | Ferry and livestock arrive at Shetland Mainland. Livestock offloaded onto beach. Ferry moors at pier. People waiting on beach to help with animals. |
| 00:40:28 | Blue van driven from beach on to the landing boat |
| 00:40:42 | Van [license plate: PS 2305] pushed up the ramp by seven men. Back wheels stuck in wet sand |
| 00:40:54 | Van secured onto the landing boat. Ramp secured in place |
| 00:41:02 | John and Jessie Jamieson working in a field |
| 00:41:36 | Using a large garden fork to lift tatties |
| 00:41:45 | Lizzie and Mary Jamieson using Shetland spades to dig up tatties at Biggins |
| 00:42:32 | Lifting tatties to the surface of the soil |
| 00:42:40 | Tatties ready to be collected |
| 00:42:48 | Lifting tatties and putting them into wicker baskets |
| 00:43:05 | A witch mobile hanging on a string |
| 00:43:14 | Halloween guising –Stella Shepherd with masked children holding lanterns |
| 00:43:40 | Four children - eating snacks and looking at witch mobile |
| 00:43:50 | Children playing indoor games – walking on string |
| 00:44:03 | Boys drinking from cups |
| 00:44:17 | Children trying to bite red apples hanging on strings |
| 00:44:55 | Boy catches apple with his mouth |
| 00:45:00 | Children eating apples |
| 00:45:15 | Stella Shepherd walking with children at Hamnavoe |
| 00:45:40 | Stella and children looking at stones on beach |
| 00:46:00 | Boy finds a jellyfish on the beach |
| 00:46:16 | ‘Border Liquid Dip’ tin |
| 00:46:19 | Beach at South Sands |
| 00:46:25 | . Rounding up sheep at South Sands – 8 people (men and women), 3 sheepdogs |
| 00:47:10 | Dipping the sheep |
| 00:47:24 | Releasing the sheep |
| 00:47:39 | Mrs Drummond |
| 00:47:53 | Seal pup on beach |
| 00:49:05 | Seal pup moving towards the sea |
| 00:49:29 | Shoreline and waves |
| 00:49:38 | Ruins in the snow. Followed by birds and sheepdog |
| 00:50:00 | Manse gate |
| 00:50:05 | Man walking in the snow |
| 00:50:18 | Two boys sledging with wooden sledges on the hill above Bragasetter |
| 00:51:36 | Sheepdog walking on frozen loch |
| 00:51:41 | Stella Shepherd throwing rocks on to frozen loch |
| 00:51:52 | Stella carding wool in kitchen beside Rayburn |
| 00:52:34 | Spinning wheel |
| 00:52:41 | Stella spinning thread onto Spinning wheel using foot pedal |
| 00:53:20 | Stella demonstrates how to assemble/wind thread |
| 00:54:39 | Two boys weaving on small looms in school room |
| 00:55:25 | Two women rolling spun wool into balls |
| 00:55:35 | Woman putting on a makkin belt (knitting belt) |
| 00:55:50 | A group of women sitting knitting together, wearing various designs of Shetland knitwear |
| 00:57:11 | Gordon Jamieson reading a book |
| 00:57:26 | Gordon at Christmas tree with coloured baubles |
| 00:57:34 | Fair Isle patterned jumpers and gloves |
| 00:58:09 | County Library sign on a door |
| 00:58:17 | Jimmy Bruce Fraser library and borrows a book |
| 00:58:38 | Swans in snow |
| 00:58:43 | Man at shore |
| 00:58:55 | Swans on lake |
| 00:59:22 | Ponies and sheepdog in snow |
| 00:59:39 | Man carrying wood across his back |
| 00:59:46 | Gordon and Billy Jamieson looking at a model manger |
| 00:59:58 | Baubles, Christmas tree, festive table cloth. Children decorating tree with books on shelves in the background. |
| 01:00:25 | Sandra Ferguson, Billy Jamieson and Gordon Jamieson looking at Christmas decorations |
| 01:01:00 | Angel on top of tree |
| 01:01:05 | Children looking at Scandinavian candle and angel set. |
| 01:02:22 | Children taking part in nativity play. |
| 01:02:50 | People singing and having a dram in a house |
| 01:03:10 | People guising and dressing up |
| 01:03:36 | Dusk and sunset |
| 01:04:13 | Cue card – ‘The End’ |
