A recent photo of the former primary school and White House at Fanagmore.

Am Bratach No. 211
May 2009
editor@bratach.co.uk

Fanagmore headmaster’s son dies at 89

On February 18 this year, John WR Junner died in a residential care home at the age of 89. He had been headmaster of Strachan Primary School in Aberdeenshire from 1966 until he retired in 1985. Immediately before that he had been headmaster at Strathy Primary, since closed.

Fanagmore school was built by Peter Whyte, Scourie, at a cost of £214.5/- (including desks) in just three months of 1899. In 1910, John’s father, Colin Kirkness Junner, assistant teacher at Oldshore, was appointed headmaster and remained there until 1919, when he left for Glasgow.

The school inspector’s report for 1913-14 states: “The instruction in this school is excellent in both divisions. It is proposed in consequence to recommend an addition to the normal rate of grant.”

Colin, who we believe was a native of Ross-shire, died in Strathy in 1964, aged 84. His wife, Margaret, who belonged to the Oldshore district, survived her husband by eighteen years, moving to Aberdeenshire with their son, John. She died aged 97 and is buried beside her husband in Strathy graveyard. Another son was a minister in Aberdeenshire.

John Junner was a highly respected village dominie who chaired Strachan village hall committeee for many years. He also played the violin and was an acknowledged authority and occasionally lectured on the music of James Scott Skinner, the virtuoso who was born in Banchory, Kincardineshire, in 1843.

Penned in his native Doric for the Aberdeen edition of the Press & Journal after attending the funeral, broadcaster Robbie Shepherd wrote: “Es wis enhanc’t be a fine sincere tribute fae the Rev John Holt tae a shy mannie, yet notit music historian an fiddle player, John Junner, for eers dominie at Strachan Skweel fa hid passed awa in’s 90th eer.

“I’ll aye myn wi sic fondness, the contribution John made tae my programmes fin I first startit broadcastin awa back in 1976 an speecially on’s idol, James Scott Skinner.

“It hid me hame an runkin oot an article fae a hyn back Scots Magazine an a photo o John wi the caption ‘The writer of this article playing the curious Stroh fiddle which belonged to Scott Skinner and which Skinner used for his early recordings’. It noo belang’t tae John.
“John nivver socht centre stage and as John Holt said he wis a hoarder — nivver threw onything oot — bit thank goodness for that, as Aberdeen University has a lot o the original manuscripts o Skinner’s scrawl alang wi ither paraphernalia.”

John Junner once toured Ireland, providing piano accompaniment for the leading interpreter of Scott Skinner’s music, Bill Hardie, a descendant of Matthew Hardie (1755-1826), Scotland’s greatest luthier.

* The history of Fanagmore school was well documented by Catherine Allan on the centenary of the Education (Scotland) Act of 1872. It can be viewed on the excellent website, www.countysutherland.co.uk.