Strathroy marks 50 years of community and friendship

A WEEK of celebrations will begin in Strathroy this Saturday as residents, past and present, get ready to mark 50 years since the first families moved into the estate.

To commemorate this milestone moment for the town’s largest social housing development, Strathroy Community Association have come up with a packed programme of events to honour the historic anniversary.

The festivities kick off at 1pm this Saturday (August 24) with something for the kids, which will include a sports day, fancy dress, bouncy castles, amusements, and a mini disco.

The occasion will be marked in a more reverent and religious fashion the following day with an Anniversary Mass in Christ the King Church.

Then, on Monday, it is Bingo in the Roy at 8pm in Strathroy Community Centre.

Next on the schedule is a few tunes.

Those who want to hear a bit of Irish traditional music and enjoy a few light refreshments are invited to do so in Strathroy Community Centre at 7.30pm on Tuesday evening.

Then comes the hump day – typically one that people just focus on getting through.

However, for those with Strathroy connections, Wednesday, August 28 is going to be different…

Why?

Because up at the playing fields at 7pm, a classic custom of the park is going to be resurrected: The Big Knockout – a competition that is as old as Strathroy itself, during which residents from the top of the estate take on their foes from the bottom to find out which side rules the Roy!

Such competition is guaranteed to work up an appetite for competitors and spectators alike, which is why the forward-thinking organisers have arranged a barbeque for all those who attend.

club legends

Then on Thursday there will be more competitive commemorations, when players from the current Strathroy Harps side take on a team of club legends.

The match will take place at the local pitch at 7pm.

On Saturday, current and past residents are invited to Strathroy Community Centre to take a trip down memory lane, where photos from through the years, some dating back to 1974 when the park was first built, will be hung around the walls.

This will be a day of reflection and reminiscence.

And finally, on Saturday, August 31, celebrations will be brought to a glittering end with the Strathroy Golden Gala Ball in the Silverbirch Hotel, which will begin with a drinks reception at 7pm and will run into the wee hours.

Anybody who wants to get themselves a spot at a table can do so by contacting Strathroy Community Association on Facebook or contacting Marty McColgan on 07976182999.

Speaking with the UH earlier this week to outline the jam-packed schedule was longtime resident and Fermanagh and Omagh District Councillor, Marty McColgan.

“People started moving into Strathroy Estate back in 1974 and it soon became its own, self-sufficient community.

“Quite quickly we had a school, a shop and a church,” said Cllr McColgan.

“As such, for half a century we have been one of the biggest and most closely-knit communities in the district.”

Cllr McColgan concluded, “Over the next week, there will plenty of chances for current residents to come together and celebrate the place they call home.

“Likewise, it will be an opportunity for people who used to live in the estate to come back and reconnect with old friends and memories.”