Fighter Graeme championed area for 18 years
Community council chairman stands down
After more than 18 years at the helm of St Leonards Community Council, veteren campaigner Graeme Macklin is stepping down as chairman.
The 70-year-old local activist and community stalwart delivered his resignation to stunned members and councillors at the area’s last community council meeting.
In an emotional speech, Graeme revealed he took the difficult decision to retire from bench duties due to ill health.
Diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2009, Graeme has undergone several courses of chemotherapy over the years and continues to battle the disease.
He also suffers from mobility problems as a result of a car accident last year which left him with a crushed vertebrae.
However, despite his ailing health, Graeme insists he will remain a dedicated member of the community council.
He said: “I would like to take this opportunity to thank each and every member of this fine community council for their support over the past 18 years.
“I have had the privilege of being voted back in as your chairman again for the next four years, however I feel it is time to put my gavel away and pass this public duty on to younger, fitter shoulders making a clean break for a fresh start in January for someone to take up the reigns and take this community council forward into 2018 and beyond.
“They say like father like son; well my dad was secretary of his neighbourhood council for many years and I can still see him and hear the constant clicking of his typewriter bashing out the minutes.
“I have been involved with many council meetings at Hamilton and here in East Kilbride with one of the largest tasks of heading a Public Inquiry to ‘Save Colonsay Field’ about 10 years ago.
“This was a fantastic opportunity to be involved with the members of our community council.
“Greenbelt issues were high on our list and, given the people power, we won the day! It is a time I will never forget.
“I am proud of the achievements that I have been involved with and thank all my members past and present for their input.”
Graeme spearheaded the widely-supported campaign and successfully overturned South Lanarkshire Council’s controversial decision to give housing developers the go-ahead to build on a section of Colonsay Field – one of the prime green areas in the whole of East Kilbride.
More than 14,000 letters of objection were presented to the local authority and the proposal was reversed following the election of a new council in the local elections.
A retired photographer for 45 years, Graeme can now look back on many more memorable moments throughout his life and career – including some front pages of the East Kilbride News.
He added: “My thanks go to all the editors, reporters and photographers at the EK News that have assisted me with issues that are affecting local people.
“I can look back and see the strength that a good band of people are worth when we stand together and spread the load – things get done. I hope this will continue keeping our community safe, clean and troublefree for years to come.
“I just love trying to take care of my community in the best way possible. I hope that I have planted a few seeds that will mature and continue to grow the community council into what has been for me a pleasure to serve as chairman.
“Thank you to everyone that I have had the opportunity to work within the various council departments no matter what their ‘colours’ happen to be as long as they are doing their job and seen to be doing their job – that will do for me.”
Looking to the future, Graeme hopes to have his next labour of love – his autobiography ‘Life in a Day of Graeme Macklin’ – published one day. 291216stleanards_2
I can look back and see the strength that a good band of people are worth when we stand together and spread the load – things get done