Published: Monday, 14th April, 2008 12:15pm

1995

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Press editor Bill Livingstone is installed as chairman of Guild of Editors (Scotland). – Go-ahead given for road up-grading at Halbeath/M90. – Queen Margaret Hospital"s new renal unit opens. – Death of Tom Sneddon MBE (83), ex-head of Blacklaw Primary. – First home rugby cap for Dunfermline"s Craig Joiner (20) against Canada at Murrayfield. – 70 new jobs created at Bank of Scotland Card Services. – Work starts on Dunfermline"s eastern expansion site as digger tests the ground. – Rosyth Naval Base redevelopment group launched. – Barbara Dickson to star in murder series 'Band of Gold.' – Dunfermline born ballerina Moira Shearer unveils a stained glass sculpture at Dunfermline Building Society"s Carnegie Campus HQ. – Politician, lawyer and bon viveur Sir Nicholas Fairbairn, Laird of Fordell, dies on February 19.

Wellwood Primary pupils back 'home' in new classroom block following disastrous fire in 1994. – Mrs Linda Brown is installed as chairman of the Carnegie Dunfermline and Hero Fund Trusts. – Kelty local services office officially opened. – Scottish Vintage Bus Museum clinch deal to buy parts of Lathalmond Naval Stores depot. – Construction starts on BSkyB"s new base at Carnegie Campus. – AT & T"s new factory is officially opened at Dalgety Bay. – Consecutive holes-in-one for golfer John McLean at Pitfirrane – only the third recorded instance in Britain and first in Scotland. – Inverkeithing High pupil Claire Williams wins British under 19 orienteering title. – Major fire at Woodside Hotel, Aberdour. – Opencast mining at East and West Baldridge farms turned down by Dunfermline District Council, after heavy public opposition.

Provost Margaret Millar opens Abbot House Heritage Centre in April, 1995. The venerable house, donated to Dunfermline Heritage Trust by the Carnegie Dunfermline Trust, has become a prize-winning, year-round visitor attraction. Staffed by volunteers, the centre has become known as the People"s Tardis as it takes time-travellers on a special odyssey through Scotland"s history.

Fife"s senior physician, Dr Alexander Lawson, retires. – Abbot House heritage centre opened to public. – 125th anniversary of British Red Cross celebrated with reception in City Chambers. – Luxury cruise liner 'Royal Princess' docks at Rosyth – the first of three scheduled liner arrivals. – Culross Palace re-opened after four years" restoration. – Sir Bob Reid takes over seat of Rosyth 2000 consortium to get Rosyth on track for economic regeneration. – Actor Oliver Reed mobbed by fans as he visits Dunfermline for filming of 'The Bruce.' – Bruce Clark (Scotland) Ltd expand from Primrose Lane factory to meet growing demand for golf rainwear. – Retired secretary and treasurer of the Carnegie Dunfermline and Hero Fund Trusts, Fred Mann, is awarded MBE for services to community. – Helen Eadie elected vice-president of European North Sea commission – 'Beast of Blairadam' sighted again. – Plans rejected for housing development at Pitconochie Farm, Crossford. – Millennium project launched by Carnegie Trust to provide Carnegie Central Library with archive material on 20th-century Dunfermline.

Plans announced for restoration of Direct Rail Service to Glasgow from Dunfermline. – Dunfermline hair stylist Sharon Davidson creates the coiffeur for Stephen Hendry"s bride, Mandy Tart. – MoD insist that transportation of used nuclear fuels from Rosyth to Sellafield is 'thoroughly well regulated and safe.' – CBI"s top man in Scotland, Professor John Ward, joins Dunfermline Building Society"s Board. – Mrs Jessie Spittal retires from Touch Primary School. – Rosyth Recreation Football Club lifts 14th trophy this year. – Mrs Catherine C Sharp, the first woman to have headed all of the Dunfermline-based Carnegie endowments, dies aged 78.

Princess Royal visits Rosyth Naval Base en route to join QE2 anchored in Forth. – Babcock Rosyth Defence win £40m contracts to refit HMS Newcastle and three smaller vessels. – Six bidders for ownership of Rosyth Naval Base. – Weatherguard Leisurewear Halbeath factory to close with loss of 200 jobs. – Bruce Street to have £315k facelift. – Limekilns engineer to head new Scottish environment protection agency, Alasdair Paton (50). – St Ninian"s church hall, Abbeyview, destroyed by fire. – Scottish Vintage Bus Museum opens its doors. – New intensive care unit opened at Queen Margaret Hospital. – RAF Pitreavie closes down ceremonially. – Dr Vicki Nash becomes first woman chief executive of a Scottish Regional Council, Fife. – Death of ex-provost John Crawford (83). – Sell-out at Carnegie Hall for Barbara Dickson concert.

Lexmark to develop a 44-acre site at Rosyth, at a cost of £26m, to produce printer cartridges; 500 jobs in prospect. – Work starts on extending Dora Golf course Cowdenbeath to 18 holes. – Rosyth kick-boxer Garry Wilson wins World Lightweight Title. – Rosyth 2000 consortium plans to bring up to 5000 jobs to Rosyth over next 10 years. – Grant Smith wins Scottish hill climbing championship for cyclists and helps Dunfermline and District Cycling Club to Scottish team title. – Dalgety Bay company, Creos International wins Scottish Council for development and industry gold export award for small companies. – Death of Jim Green, fifth generation in the family hairdressing business. – 9000-tonne oil platform "Uncle John" arrives at Rosyth for winter docking. – Royal Navy"s minor war vessels leave Rosyth for last time. – New working group set up to study the problem of traffic congestion on the Forth Road Bridge. – Fife Council wants to become an equal shareholder in Rosyth 2000, at estimated cost of £2m.

Last of Rosyth"s "Tin Town" buildings, The Jutland Club, badly damaged by fire. – Work begun on phase two of Carnegie Campus. – Janet Lowe to become new principal of Lauder College. – The Rt Rev James Harkness, Moderator of General Assembly of Church of Scotland, visits Dunfermline. – Tourist "Oscar" for Abbot House in its first year. – HMS Coventry arrives at Rosyth for 12 month refit. – 34 redundancies announced at Marconi Avionics Donibristle, and Solectron Pitreavie lay off a net 50. – Official closure of RN Communications Centre at Pitreavie. – New £7m Police Headquarters opened in Glenrothes. – last-ditch effort to save Rosyth Recreation and Social Club from closure. – Closure of North Queensferry Naval Signal Station. – Official opening of Cowdenbeath"s Leisure Centre"s second phase. – Donibristle Primary School wing damaged by fire. – First meeting of west Fife"s new area committee in Dunfermline City Chambers. – The Pars finish the year top of the First Division.

The end in 1996 to Dunfermline"s centuries-old history as a seat of local government...the final meeting in the City Chambers of Dunfermline District Council under the chairmanship of Provost Margaret Millar, last in a line of Provosts stretching back to 1424.