FAREWELL TO ALASTAIR BOYD – ‘LORD RONDA’By David Eade
Alastair Boyd died in Ronda last Thursday at the age of 81. Although he was Lord Kilmarnock he will forever be associated with the town of Ronda and the wider Serranía region.
Alastair Boyd was the head of the Clan Boyd and succeeded to the title Lord Kilmarnock following his father’s death in 1975. After taking a degree at King’s College, Cambridge he did his National Service in the Irish Guards in Palestine from 1947 to 1948 and later entered his father’s business in the City of London.
He first discovered Ronda in Easter Week in 1953 and described the town thus: “through half-closed eyes and the filter of much romantic reading, a mighty Arab fortress roseate in the evening sun.”
A lifelong Hispanophile he settled in Ronda with his first wife Diana Mary Gibson in 1957. He opened a bar that was shut down by the authorities after a brawl then opened a language school in the Casa de Mondragón. In 1966 in the company of a Spanish friend he took a horse trek from Ronda to Almeria crossing the Alpujarras and returning via Granada, a journey that formed the basis of the book ‘The Road from Ronda’. He had been friends with Gerald Brenan and is said to have been to the Serranía de Ronda what Brenan was to the Alpujarras.
After years back in the UK, during which time he sat in the House of Lords, in 1995 he returned to Ronda permanently with his second wife, Hilly. She had been previously married to Kingsley Amis and is the mother of the author Martin. It was in this latter period that he became known as a crusader in defence of the environment in the Serranía.
For years he fought for a water treatment plant for Ronda and the revitalization of the Guadalevín and Guadiaro rivers. He took his campaign to the European institutions where his voice carried much weight. He hit the headlines again in 2007 when he spoke out against the plans for the controversial residential, hotel and golf development at Los Merinos.
The property company issued legal proceedings against him and two other Britons claiming 22 million euros in damages. Los Merinos argued that their statements to the British media had caused investors to pull out of the project. When the case went to court it was thrown out by the judge but the furore is said to have taken a heavy toll on Lord Kilmarnock’s health.
His books on Spain include: Sabbatical Year, Collins, 1959; Madrid & Central Spain, Collins, 1975; The Radical Challenge, André Deutsch, 1983; The Essence of Catalonia, André Deutsch, 1988; The Sierras of the South, HarperCollins, 1992 y The Social Market and the State, Profile Books, 1999. His only book in Spanish “De Ronda a las Alpujarras – Viajes a cabello en los sesenta por el sur de España was published by Ediorial La Serranía in 2007.
HISTORIC PLAN TO BE PASSED ON FRIDAY
The long awaited plan for the protection of the historic centre of Ronda and the Tajo will be presented to the council on March 27. Amongst the provisions will be the creation of a parking zone on the former Silesian College’s football pitch, a luxury hotel to be built in the old castle and all new constructions to have a strict two-storey height limit.
There are also plans for a large tourist walkway to be created on the slope leading to the former Escuela Hogar El Castillo. It is intended to hold a competition for ideas that will best preserve and respect the image of the old town.
The protection zone will extend as far as the former old people’s home in the avenida Poeta Rilke which will be converted in to a tourism reception area. The gardens of the Casa del Rey Moro will become a public park. The possibility will also be examined of appropriating dilapidated or abandoned buildings in the protected area that are of historic value.
SIN EDUCACIÓN
Two visitors to Ronda have contacted us to say that at 7.40 on Saturday evening they sat down on the terrace of the café outside the Hotel Poeta in the old town. Three of the other tables were occupied but they were totally ignored by the staff that came out to clear tables or to collect bills. After waiting 15 minutes they left feeling insulted. It is possible that the café staff were in the process of closing but a smile and explanation was all that was required. Sadly ignorant staff can give Ronda a bad name at a time when attracting tourists is more important than ever. Happily this couple walked on to the Hotel Don Miguel were they were warmly welcomed.
HEALTH CENTRES
The Andalucía health service is investing a million euros in creating four new health centres in the Serranía de Ronda. These will be located in Montejaque, El Burgo, Benalauría and Igualeja. In addition improvements will be made at the existing centres in Arriate, Jubrique and Alpandeire. The Valle del Genal health centre that covers eight municipalities is to be allocated a second ambulance.
ELECTION CALL
Anger has broken out in Ronda’s association of small and medium sized businesses (Apymer) with a large number of members demanding fresh elections to create a new board at the meeting scheduled for March 25.The dissident group is demanding an independent audit and asking whether a negative report exists on the plans to create an open commercial centre in Ronda’s traditional shopping area.
FIVE MONTHS
It was on October 20 that a 30-year-old from Algodonales went missing in Ronda’s Tajo gorge. He is presumed to have committed suicide and his bike plus identification was found by searchers. However five months on there is still no sign of his body despite extensive searches by fire, police and protección civil teams. His remains could be trapped amongst rocks or carried down river.
GERIATRIC HITCH
The suggestion that Ronda’s existing hospital should be converted in to an old people’s home when the new one is opened has hit a hitch. The provincial delegate for health said the matter was not for the ministry as it did not own the hospital site which belonged to Unicaja. It was for the bank and the social welfare ministry to make a decision.
GENALGUACIL INVESTMENT
The Diputación de Málaga is funding two projects in Genalguacil. One is the construction of a parking area at Las Suertes. In addition it is working on the further extension of the calle Lomilla. The budget of 112,000 euros comes from the 3.2 million euros being allocated to the 22 municipalities of the Serranía de Ronda for infrastructure projects in 2009.
CENTRE LANE
Ronda’s councillor for traffic, José Morales, has announced that it is intended to create a central lane of traffic in the calle Virgen de la Paz to eliminate the constant congestion caused by vehicles waiting to turn in to the calle Mariano Soubirón. Work will start in the coming weeks and will require the removal of park of the pavement by the Alameda’s main entrance. There will also be changes in Martínez Astéin and Fernando Morel.
