It's like coming home when we come to Wick
Recorded 3 years ago
About this recording
The funfair at the riverside - known to all as the sideshows - has been a Wick institution for generations. Rosemary Wallis is now the senior member of the branch of the family that brings Wallis's Funfair to the town each summer. In this interview, recorded in July 2023, Rosemary shares some of her early memories of Wick, including when she started to make candy floss at the age of 10. Back then, the sideshows spent longer in Wick than they do now. Children in touring funfair families couldn't miss out on their education so Rosemary attended the North School. She also reminisces about Gibbie Fraser's van, boating on the river, spending time at the Trinkie and going to the Rosebank disco. Rosemary's parents were friendly with the Bridge Street Church minister, the Rev Alistair Roy, and she recalls one occasion when Mr Roy made an eleventh-hour plea for Mr Wallis to stand in as best man at a wedding. Rosemary says: "It's like coming home when we come to Wick. That's how we feel about it." Her sons are keeping up the family tradition. "It's a lot of work but if you're used to it you think nothing of it, you know no different," she explains. Rosemary is sure the funfair will continue to attract crowds for years to come. "I think it'll always be popular," she says. "People like to get out and they like to see their kids enjoying themselves. Some of them might cry when they're on the wee roundabout, but it's still a memory!"
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