My goodness what a Netflix film is Baby Reindeer. A true story written and acted by the man who experienced being stalked for almost four years. During that time Richard Gadd had 40,000 emails, 740 tweets, 350 hours of voice mails and 100 pages of letters from a deranged woman called Martha. The story is hard to believe, what he went through and how he coped and didn’t cope. Not easy viewing but it’s no wonder people are talking about it.
A THING OF BEAUTY
Sometimes the rain can produce a wonderful piece of artistic beauty like the Assaranka waterfall outside Ardara in Donegal. It seems to have so many different moods and this is one of the most beautiful.
Good luck to all those running in the marathon and hard luck to anyone wanting to use Ravenhill Road, the Embankment and Ormeau Road. Last year I was travelling back from the upper Ravenhill and it took me two hours to get through to the other side of town. The event was over but the entrants were still celebrating and wandering around, cars were abandoned and getting through the diversions and chaos was awful. But hey, it’s only once a year and for a good cause so either stay put until this afternoon or just relax and wait for a gap in the traffic.
I had my marathon on Saturday marching with my National Union of Journalists colleagues in the May Day parade for trades unionists to come together to show support for fellow workers.
The bands played, the drums drummed out the beat, the flags flew and there were at lot of people meeting for the first time since last years May Day. There was much to discuss, it’s been a difficult year for many workers and thank goodness for the support of the union. And cheers to fellow NUJ colleagues for a great day.
SWINGING TIME IN THE PORT
Many women working in a man’s world encounter difficulties, often facing intimidation and being badgered, to succeed they need to be strong, know their business inside and out and, above all, remain professional.
Ballymoney born Wilma Erskine is the epitome of that successful woman having spent her working life as manager of Royal Portrush golf club and before she moved on to other challenges, oversaw the oldest golf tournament in the world, the celebrated 2019 Open Championship. BBCs Steven Watson said that her legacy was her drive to bring the Open back to Portrush after 68 years: “It simply wouldn’t have happened without her.”
She worked in golf club management for 40 years, first with Portadown and then Massereene Golf Club before at the age of 27 she joined one of the most prestigious clubs in the UK, opened in 1888 it was the home of local man Fred Daly the first irishman to win the Open Championship. Despite a prestigious history Wilma claims she didn’t anticipate any problems being a female dealing with high powered businessmen both on the board, committees and members although agrees that working in a overwhelmingly man’s world had, and has, certain drawbacks,
“But I didn’t consider myself a woman in this instance, rather a position. I grew up fighting my corner, I’m a doer, working in the background”. But that wasn’t always possible especially during the 2019 Open when media from all round the world took her to their hearts, they saw how she made things happen and was prepared to talk to them about day to day events. “I worked with them so they had the best view of what we were doing and achieving and to go home impressed with what we’d achieved. I think it was the Washington Post who said of me – ‘she was only a farmer’s daughter but she sowed a seed’!
Being a media darling caused some jealousy but her thinking is if you have a dream then go for it and despite her father advising a career in nursing or teaching instead she studied business and economics in Bristol and Edinburgh before taking on the Portadown job and learning the ropes of golf club management. She still plays when she gets the chance and boasts a 21 handicap.
The Best Of The Best
She was known as ‘The Boss’ working with the like of Gary Player, Tiger Woods, Darren Clarke and Rory Mcilroy and was especially delighted to spend time with the 2019 winner County Offlay man Shane Lowry, who won over many non-golfers as he shared his delight with friends and fans, a glass in one hand and the Claret Jug in the other, standing on a table and singing The Fields of Athernry with great gusto.
A golf club of this standing needs an organiser with multiple skills and as secretary manager of Royal Portrush she left her mark, she calls it the St. Andrews of Ireland. When in 2019 she decided to stand down, her success in bringing the club to Open status didn’t go unnoticed especially by two young venture capitalists from Dallas USA . They had played at Royal Portrush and been impressed by the friendly and efficient manager and they didn’t forget her so, when the entrepreneurs talked of returning to ‘the Port’ to build a luxury hotel, their conversation included Wilma Erskine.
Soon she was included in their dream, a luxury hotel set in beautiful surrounds looking out over the Skerries, the Atlantic and on to Donegal and when a nine acre site at the 4th fairway became available, Jonathan Harper and Robert Covington snapped it up and today their vision has almost come to fruition. However, they needed someone on the ground to make sure their hopes were realised and who better than Wilma.
Completion Is At Hand
And it’s impressive, a 35 bedroom hotel, a spa, private suites, a putting green and a lot of luxury, a major tourism attraction and a golfer’s dream when in 2025 the Open Championship returns to Portrush. £16.5 million will be invested but multi-million pounds will return to the Northern Ireland economy. Dunluce Lodge has given employment to many during construction and around 80 staff will move in shortly before an autumn opening. During building up the status of the golf club and now representing the 5 star hotel, Wilma has had her hand on the tiller guiding the massive organisation required to make a success of the two ventures, so much so that she was recognised in the 2020 New Year honours with an OBE for her services to tourism and golf. As brand manager for Dunluce Lodge she now works to bring world wide golf tour operators to the area, she’s the local ears and eyes and who better.
WEEKS OF QUESTIONING
The Post Office enquiry continues to intrigue and it’s interesting to see some of the post masters sitting beside their legal representatives listening to the post office officials squirm under cross examination. Then there’s the Covid enquiry to tune into and less interesting the Trump law case. Watching live coverage of the student protests in America was quite frightening seeing how it spread from capital to capital knowing there’s a chance these protests will catch on in other countries – already rumblings in Dublin. Strange that for lots of viewers these live streams are replacing regular television programmes that have become so meaningless and dull, cheap and repetitive. There are exceptions of course and again Blue Lights is riveting.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
