Talking to the past

As part of the Absent Voices groups' bid to tell the creative story of Greenock's Sugar Sheds, they are looking to talk to people who once worked in the sugar industry.
A few weeks ago, Rod Miller (who Blips as Peintre) left an excited message on the group's private Facebook page with a link to this story in the Greenock Telegraph about 100-year-old Bertie Hutchison.
Bertie, who has never smoked or touched a drop of alcohol (the secret to his longevity clearly...) worked in the sugarhouse refinery in Greenock after returning from active service in France during the Second World War.
Bertie was born in Greenock on 12 January in 1914 before moving to Port Glasgow to raise his family of four children with his late wife Annie.
His grandaughter, Roxanne, sent this photograph to Absent Voices artist, Anne McKay. Bertie is on the left hand side.
Bertie is quite frail now and not able to talk about his experience of working in the sugar industry but we are very grateful to his family for sharing this photograph.
There's something so evocative about this image of three smiling men locked in time.
As Kevin McDermott puts it in his theme song Voices, the past can still speak to us even though many of those who travelled through are long gone.

If YOU know of anyone who would like to share their story of working in Greenock's once-mighty surge industry with us, please email:
rod@absentvoices.com
anne@absentvoices.com