WE TAKE a look at the stories making headlines in East Lothian 25, 50 and 100 years ago.

25 years ago

A COUNTY chef was making headlines in the East Lothian Courier of June 25, 1999, ahead of the opening of the Scottish Parliament.

Gullane-based chef Dan Hall has been asked to head a team of cooks who will provide the starter at a banquet following the glittering opening ceremony of the Scottish Parliament on Thursday.

As a member of the Scottish Chefs Association, Dan, 24, who works at The Golf Inn Hotel, Gullane, was invited to help prepare a meal for 600 people, from all walks of life, after the historic opening.

“I am looking forward to it and I am sure we will have a lot of fun,” said Dan, who started cooking as a child with his grandmother.

“This has been billed as the biggest dinner to be held in Scotland in the last 300 years and it is great to be involved in it, especially as this is the last year of the millennium.”

50 years ago

RATEPAYERS were being hit in the pocket, reported the East Lothian Courier of June 28, 1974.

East Lothian’s County Rate is going up – but only by 11p in the £.

Forecasts during the past few months envisaged a massive leap of around 30p, mainly due to the authority’s £5m plus scheme for modernising interwar houses, but yesterday the County Council approved a rate of 70p, to which must be added a domestic water rate of 6p and District Council rates.

The total rates will range between 78p in the three eastern districts to 81p in Prestonpans district and 89p for Tranent district. The rates for domestic ratepayers will be 17p less than these figures.

MEANWHILE, prize-winning donkeys were celebrated.

Fleur and Soozi, those two well-known donkeys owned by Miss Anne Johnstone of Kingslaw Stables, Tranent, have been picking up more prizes – this time at the Royal Highland Show.

The two-year-old fillies, ‘Amisfield Fleur’ and ‘Kingslaw Soozi’, have been collecting rosettes since their owner started showing them at the end of last season.

100 years ago

‘A TRAMP’S fraud’ was highlighted in The Haddingtonshire Courier of June 28, 1924.

For falsely representing that he was destitute, footsore, and unable to proceed further, and by this means obtained a voucher from the inspector of poor entitling him to a nights’ lodging, a labourer of no fixed residence, named William Weir, appeared before Provost Aitken at the Burgh Court on Saturday, and was fined 20s with the option of ten days’ imprisonment. After obtaining the voucher the accused, it was explained, got drunk, and when apprehended, money was found in his possession.

MEANWHILE, the tale of a runaway Haddington sheep was reported.

On Monday afternoon, a sheep made its appearance unattended in front of the Corn Exchange. It had wandered down from the Hope Park direction down Court Street.

For fully ten minutes it stood viewing the scene, lost and so bewildered that it never moved. A police officer, realising his opportunity, dashed across the street and effected a very simple capture.