The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Son certain Bon would have treasured tribute
Ben Scott hails Kirriemuir’s AC/DC festival and tells what father’s legacy means to him
Bon Scott’s son has said the annual Kirriemuir tribute to the AC/DC rock god is something his late father would have “truly treasured with all his heart”.
Ben Scott, who grew up in the Melbourne suburb of Mordialloc, said it was amazing to think that the place where his father grew up still “holds his life in such huge esteem”.
The star spent his early years in Kirriemuir, where father Charles Scott worked in the family bakery on Bank Street.
In 1952, when he was six, the family emigrated to Australia, where he later became part of one of music’s biggest success stories after joining Glasgowborn brothers Angus and Malcolm Young in their band AC/DC.
A life-sized statue of Bon Scott was unveiled in 2016 in Kirriemuir, which also hosts an annual rock festival celebrating the life and music of the AC/DC legend.
Ben said: “I guess the saying is true that you may one day leave Scotland but Scotland shall never leave you.
“If I can speak for him just once, personally I think it’s an honour that my dad would have truly treasured with all his heart. I’d like to thank each and every person who has ever been involved in this fun, family oriented weekend of festivities.”
Ben, whose father died when he was seven, described the life-sized statue in Kirriemuir as “truly remarkable”.
The singer died after a night out in London in 1980. The official cause was listed on the death certificate as “acute alcohol poisoning” and classified as “death by misadventure”.
Ben said: “I don’t think I ever really recovered from my dad’s death.
“For months after he died I kept stopping by a record shop in Mordialloc asking if my dad was there even after my mum explained his death to me.
“I still expected him to surprise me and show up.
“It’s a comfort to still have Bon’s back catalogue, old stories and photos and videos around to remember him by.
“I’m still amazed by how powerful his band became, and in 2008 when I decided to throw my hat in the ring to star in a movie about my dad there were 20 million articles in every language imaginable.
“I got to really experience that incredible power that AC/DC still has.”
This year’s 14th annual Bonfest takes place over the weekend of May 3-5.
Kirriemuir’s yearly tribute to Bon Scott and AC/DC draws thousands of people from around the world for three days and two wild nights.
The festival is one of the biggest events in the Angus calendar.
Rare archive material from the collection of superfan Neil McDonald is also on permanent display at the town’s Gateway to the Glens museum, which is popular with visitors.
I’d like to thank each and every person who has ever been involved in this fun, family oriented weekend. BEN SCOTT