From being dilapidated, run down and closed to the public, Inveraray Pier was transformed into a thriving hub of excitement, positivity and activity on Saturday.
After 10 years, the pier reopened under community ownership as the sunshine and a huge crowd of people turned out to celebrate the occasion.
Mid Argyll Pipe Band played, boats visited from Strachur and coach trip visitors joined locals to party as prosecco and food was handed out.
The community buyout for £55,000 was completed by local group Inspire Inveraray in July last year and work to bring the pier out of its sad state of disrepair began in earnest.
A mixture of hard work applying for grant funding, numerous community events and efforts made it all happen.
The existing infrastructure on the stone part of the pier was repaired by contractors D A MacDonald with civil engineers MHB Consulting, and now it has reopened to the public, both on land and by sea.
Inveraray’s very own local worthy, Donald John MacDonald was invited to cut the ribbon.
Known affectionately as DJ, the 63-year-old works for Argyll and Bute Council, keeps the streets clean and looks after local amenities, while also being part of Inveraray fire crew.
At his own request the ribbon was yellow and black, a nod to Inverary shinty team of which DJ is an avid supporter and his son “Halfy” plays for.
Linda Divers, a director of Inspire Inveraray, said: “DJ is a local through and through. He takes a lot of photographs and made calendars for us for the last few years to sell for funds for this cause.
“Donald did so much for us, that’s why we asked him to do the honours. He is in the fire service, he sweeps the streets, he does a lot of things for the town."
Speaking about the success of the day, she said: “It was absolutely amazing. I can’t believe the amount of people that came out for the opening.
“There has been almost five years of hard work. The pier has been closed for 10 years but we didn’t have the chance to do anything about it until Geaspar Byrne, owner of the Inveraray Inn, bought it. He gave the community the opportunity to come in and do this.
“We have even had interest from a seaplane, boats have come across from Strachur for today. I think it will make a huge difference. The Vital Spark is here and we believe it will be here for a while.”
DJ told The Advertiser that he felt honoured to be asked to officially open the pier.
He said: “I loved it. I have lived here all my life and I fished down the pier when it was open all these years ago - and that will come again.
"The last time the pier was open was for the Commonwealth Games in 2014. They tidied it up so that the baton could arrive by boat. It was quite a historic moment.
“When I was young, we used to jump off the wooden bit. You can’t do that now because it hasn’t been dredged in so long."
His mother, Mary, donated the bench that now sits on the pier, overlooking the town.
The wooden extension to the pier is the next stage in the refurbishment plan. It is still closed as it is in an unsafe condition.
Inveraray Co-op handed out free bottles of water and fresh fruit on the day and new manager Jack Coggins was keen to introduce himself to the community.
He said: “I love doing things like this out in the town, working with the community.
“The Co-op has been a focal point for such a long time and I really wanted to be here for the pier opening. It is such a big event for Inveraray. Having the chance to meet so many people has been brilliant.
“The Co-op is part of the community and supporting the community is what I want the store to be known for.”
Alastair Rodden, Inspire Inveraray director, is already looking to the future.
He said: “The next phase is moving on to the wooden bit of the pier, which we have had surveyed already.
“First, we have got to find £100,000 to get match funding for the entire project, which will cost half a million pounds.
“It needs a deck - we need to decide which option to take for the refurbishment. Because it has been shut for so long, there has been no marine traffic to naturally dredge it.
“There has been a great turnout today, people have come from all over.”
It was also a happy day for Peter McArthur, 75, who told of when his father Hope MacArthur ran the ferry service between Inveraray and St Catherines before the route was closed in 1961.
Now retired, Mr McArthur was a groundsman for Argyll Estates for many years.
He said: “The ferry used to run for passengers and tourists from the pier and there was a bus run from St Catherines to Strachur and down to Dunoon, which was very popular.
“There were four ferries a day, at 8.15am, 11am, 2.30pm and 6.30pm, and sometimes in between. They ran cruises in the summer at night down the loch.
“I used to go out with my dad. He had two boats, the white one took 40 passengers and the other took 12. They were called The Happy Return and The Jean.”
He added: “I’m very happy to see the pier open again. It’s going to be a good thing for Inveraray. We used to get cruise ships visiting and I hope this will encourage them to come back.”
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