Published: Wednesday, 14th May, 2008 10:00
Bankie writer pays tribute to teachers
By Lynsey Knight
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BOOK: Stuart
A FORMER Bankie — who is about to have a book published — has paid tribute to the teachers who helped get his writing career off to a good start.
Stuart Rivans’ teachers encouraged him to write stories and it has certainly paid off, with his book Whisky Dream — One Man’s Battle to Resurrect an Islay Jewel, being released next month.
Stuart, who lived in Duntocher and attended Goldenhill Primary, told the Post: “I remember my teacher Mrs Mackenzie always told us a lot of stories, and Mrs Morrison also helped to give me the creative writing bug.”
Stuart, 35, is working as a radio and TV producer, and it was through his work that he became interested in the tales from Islay, an island of the inner Hebrides.
He was part of a team creating a documentary about the island, which is known as the Queen of the Hebrides, and was asked to write the book.
It explains how two English wine merchants came together with the islanders to revive the Bruichladdich distillery, which closed in the 1990s, and the Port Charlotte distillery.
The book details the trials and tribulations the men went through to bring the distilleries back to life.
Stuart said: “I felt very privileged to have won their trust.
“They are very proud and very resourceful — if something goes wrong in their car for example, they fix it themselves, they’re quite stubborn.”
Stuart spent a lot of time with the islanders and loved hearing their remarkable stories, with one in particular standing out in his mind.
He said: “Copper pot stills were being transported to Islay from Dumbarton up the River Clyde on a barge, which passed by Faslane.
“When the Gulf war broke out, an American military satellite drew attention to the barge and the Americans became suspicious and thought the barge was transporting weapons of mass destruction, it’s unbelievable.”
Stuart and his wife are expecting their first child, which has given him an idea for his next book.
He added: “I want to write a humorous book, with some factual information, for young dads so they know what to expect — although it might take me about five years to write because I will be so shattered.”
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