Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Broons set for visit to Dundee
THE Broons return to their spiritual home of Dundee on Thursday as part of a stage show touring the country.
Maw and Paw take the audience behind the curtain of a stage show 80 years in the making.
Scotland’s happy family have appeared in theatres in Kirkcaldy, Perth and Inverness in the run-up to coming to Dundee, the city where he cartoons were created.
Among the cast is Paul Riley, known to many as Winston from Still Game, who plays long-suffering patriarch Paw Broon.
Joining him as Maw is another “well-kent face” from Scottish TV — Joyce Falconer, who starred as Roisin in the BBC Scotland show River City.
Rounding out the brood is Kern Falconer as Granpaw, Kim Allan as Maggie, Tyler Colins as Hen, John Kielty as Joe, Laura Szalecki as Daphne, Euan Bennet plays Horace, Kevin Lennon and Duncan Brown are The Twins and Maureen Carr is the Bairn. The Broons will be at the Gardyne Theatre from Thursday to Saturday.
Jennifer and Stewart Ellis, from Monifieth, had put down memorial items next to son David’s headstone on Wednesday, which would have been his 50th birthday.
David, 48, had grown up in the town but moved to Fintry in Dundee shortly before he was diagnosed with bile duct and liver cancer in August 2014. He passed away on December 19 that year.
Jennifer, 70, went to visit his grave in Barnhill Cemetery in Broughty Ferry on Thursday morning to find some of the items gone and others had been moved about.
The couple said that this was the second time belongings had been stolen from the grave — but things had been moved at the grave seven times since David died.
Jennifer, who is retired, said: “To take these things from someone’s grave — evil doesn’t even come close to describing it.
“On Wednesday, it would have been his 50th birthday. I was up at the cemetery at 3.30pm and everything was fine.
“Then I went back around 9.30am the following day and stuff was missing and other stuff had been moved.
“I go to his grave every day. Back in July there was the same problem.
“My niece had left an engraved memorial item from her and David’s cousins. That went missing and has never turned up.
“This has all been very hurtful and it is tarnishing David’s memory.”
Police visited Jennifer on Friday morning and took a statement about the thefts.
She said: “I feel very angry, upset and fed-up. It’s really sad.
A GRIEVING couple have been left “distraught” after tributes were taken from their son’s grave.
“I’m hanging by a thin thread and feel like I could explode.
“Stewart’s really upset as well. It’s heartbreaking to go along to the grave and see this.
“The person who did this is pathetic. I want to know why — what it’s about.
“We considered putting a camera there but we would need to get permission from the council.
“I can’t keep going through this. I can’t take much more. The person should be utterly ashamed.”
Stewart, 67, was at work at the Department of Work and Pensions office in Dundee when Jennifer told him about the theft, and had to leave work early as he was so upset.
He said: “To say we’re distraught is an understatement. It’s been very difficult.
“I feel absolutely shattered as it’s caused us sleepless nights. It’s totally unacceptable.”
A Police Scotland spokeswoman said: “Police Scotland is making inquiries into the theft of items from a graveyard at Birkhill Cemetery.
“Anyone with any information is asked to call Tayside Division on 101.”