Dull village potential link with Boring and Bland

LIFE for residents of the Scottish village of Dull is set to get a little more exciting – thanks to a place in Australia called Bland.

By RHIANNON WILLIAMS Saturday, 1st June 2013, 1:00 am

The Perthshire Dull is already unofficially twinned with the American town of Boring. Picture: PA

The Perthshire village is already unofficially twinned with the American town of Boring, in Oregon, 5,542 miles away.

Now the residents of Bland Shire in New South Wales want to cash in on humorous publicity by creating a trinity of tedium with Dull and Boring.

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Long considered a dreary destination due to its unfortunate name, Bland Shire’s tourism committee is exploring promoting the area by establishing sister relationships with the other places with odd names.

The idea for establishing a link between Dull and Boring first came about after Elizabeth Leighton from Grandtully, Perthshire, passed through the US town while on a cycling holiday in Oregon.

She contacted Steve Bates, chairman of the Boring Community Planning Organisation and he agreed there was scope for developing a relationship between Dull and Boring.

Dull, whose name is thought to have derived from the Pictish word for fields, is home to only 84 residents and consists of a single street on the north side of the Tay valley.

It was deemed too small to officially twin with Boring, which boasts a population of around 13,000, but the areas now peacefully coexist as “sister communities” on opposite sides of the Atlantic.

Boring was named after William H Boring, a Civil War veteran and early resident of the area. Locals have a humourous take on the name, displaying signs declaring the town: “The most exciting place to live.”

Marjorie Keddie, the chairwoman of Dull and Weem Community Council was instrumental in forging the landmark transatlantic union. She said: “I think the main benefit will come from tourism.”

The link up between Perth and Kinross Council and Boring Community Planning Organisation made headlines around the world last year.

Bland Shire was named after William Bland, whose life was anything but. Born in London, the son of an obstetrician, he was transported as a convict to Van Diemen’s Land, (now Tasmania) in 1814 after killing a sailor during a duel in Bombay.

He was later pardoned and went on to found the Australian Medical Association. Bland Shire, which is home to more than 6,000 people, encompasses farmland in New South Wales.

Tony Lord, a local councillor, said : “I think over the years we’ve had our share of fun poked at us.

“That’s where we need to think positively and look ahead at all the opportunities that may occur or that we can generate.”