Should Auld Acquaintance Be Forgot

‘I BELONG to Glasgae… da da dee da dee… Well, actually we don’t belong to Glasgow at all, but if we did, we’re sure that we would think fondly of the auld place as we lay in a London gutter after a night celebrating Scotland’s plucky point against the Faroe Islands.

Painting a happy picture of life in the Gorbals

And in the morning, as we enjoyed our first tipple of the day in the company of other like-minded folk with red noses and old suits, our thoughts might once again return to the Gorbals tenements of our youth.

Then, pint of heavy and whisky chaser in hand, we will stumble into the nearest internet café and log onto Gorbalslive.org.uk, which receives 70,000 hits a month – roughly the same number that Gorbals residents receive from one another in the course of their daily lives.

The website offers memorabilia such as street signs (Accident and Emergency), paintings (popular street murals entitled ”No Pope in this town” and ”FTQ”) and even rubble from demolished buildings (”It wasn’t much, but it was home”).

”Many use the site to link up with former neighbours and friends and reminisce about the old days,” says Nicola Rossiter, who runs the charity that set up the site.

Should auld acquaintance be forgot, the Independent helpfully names such former residents as barrister Lady Kennedy, tea magnate Thomas Lipton, architect Alexander ”Greek” Thompson and Alan Pinkerton, founder of ”the famous detective agency”.

Of course, not all of these famous sons and daughters are still alive, so reminiscing may not be a viable option.

But Rossiter says that many people simply want a souvenir – ”even towels from the old corporation wash house and baths”.

That’s not a request for a souvenir, Nicola that’s a cry for help.

And when you’re sending the towels down to London, perhaps you could throw in a few bars of soap while you’re at it.

‘

Posted: 9th, September 2002 | In: Broadsheets Comment | TrackBack | Permalink