The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Former Ceres head teacher and sheep breeder Ian Gourlay, 86
Ian Gourlay, who spent most of his career as head teacher at Ceres Primary School, has died aged 86. He had also served as a community councillor in Ceres, was a classic car enthusiast and prizewinning sheep breeder.
Mr Gourlay was known for his evangelical care over grammar and punctuation and taught their importance to hundreds of his pupils over his long career.
He was head teacher at Ceres from 1969 until his retiral after earlier teaching posts at Coaltown of Wemyss and Methilhill.
Mr Gourlay was born in Coaltown of Wemyss on Christmas Day 1935 to David and Anne and was educated in the village, and then at Buckhaven High School.
It was during his childhood, while playing and horse riding at nearby Lochhead Farm, that Mr Gourlay developed his lifelong interest in agriculture.
He spent four years in teacher training in Dundee before National Service in the military teaching corps between 1957 and 1959.
In 1959, Mr Gourlay began his first teaching
post at Coaltown of Wemyss and, in the same year, married Nana Rogerson and set up home in Buckhaven.
Their sons, Derek and Callum, were born in 1961 and 1963.
He later had a spell as assistant head teacher at Methilhill before his move to Ceres in 1969.
Callum Gourlay, Ian’s son, said: “He made an amazing impression on the children he taught and many of these former pupils have been in touch with tributes.”
The family initially lived in the Schoolhouse at Ceres and during holidays Mr Gourlay would work at Whitehill Farm, Ceres, helping farmer Graeme Anderson with ploughing, harvesting and looking after cattle.
Mr Gourlay kept a small flock of sheep for breeding and selling. Latterly he kept Ryeland sheep and won many prizes at the Royal Highland Show, including a first prize.
He was also mechanically minded and loved repairing cars and also owning classic cars such as Mark II Jaguars and his beloved Mercedes SLK.
In the 1980s, he was a familiar sight in original Volkswagen Beetles.
Callum said: “After retirement he became a shepherd, actually a bit of an all-rounder working with a couple of other retirees helping farmers with some tasks like taking sheep to market and repairing fences.”