The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Town mourning loss of ‘Mr Forfar’ Colin Brown
Forfar is mourning the loss of one of its most community spirited figures following the death of former councillor Colin Brown.
The girls’ football club, which emerged from a US exchange trip he organised in 1980, has led tributes to a figure known universally as “Mr Forfar”.
Colin died peacefully surrounded by his family at the weekend. He was approaching his 80th birthday in July.
His wife Jan, and daughters Gillian, Alison and Nicola say they have been overwhelmed by the messages of condolence for a figure who left an impression on friends around the globe.
Those include many on both sides of the Atlantic who were part of the Forfar Farmington Football Club success story. An exchange trip to Connecticut organised by Colin and expat pal Al Bell grew to become what is the largest girls’ and women’s football set-up in Angus today.
Farmington said he had left behind a “great legacy”.
It was just one part of his commitment to the town which also included founding Forfar Youth Club in the late 1960s.
Colin was a hard-working Independent councillor for 15 years until 2022 and Depute Provost of Angus from 2017.
His wit and straight talking earned him friends and respect across the Angus chamber.
Colin was born in Forfar’s former Fyfe Jamieson maternity home and started school at Craichie when the family lived at Whigstreet.
He then moved on to the old Forfar North School and Forfar Academy.
Early jobs included a spell at Forfar textile firm Don & Low, and transport firm BRS, before he took up a post as a day centre officer at Lilybank Resource Centre.
It was a role he loved – and generations of Lilybank centre users and their families loved him.
It spawned Colin’s dedication to the Special Olympics, which saw him travel with Tayside teams to compete in locations including Athens and the US. He worked at Lilybank for more than 25 years.
Then, as he entered his 60s, Colin eschewed retirement to embark on a career in local government as an Independent councillor for the town.
In 2019, he received the British Empire Medal in recognition of his lifetime of commitment to the community.
Among his many other accolades was the 1993 Andrew Smyth Award as Forfar Community Council’s citizen of the year.
But his greatest pride was reserved for the love of his own family, including his seven grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
And he took special satisfaction from the enduring success of Forfar Farmington, of which he remained a committed president.
From the roots of the 1980 school exchange for boys and girls, Farmington became one of the leading outfits in the Scottish girls’ game. Its achievements have included a SWFL Cup win in 2005 when he was manager.
And Farmington enjoyed a solid stint in the Scottish
Women’s Premier League. A Farmington statement said: “Colin touched the hearts of so many players, parents, coaches and volunteers at home and in the USA throughout the last 40 years when the first Forfar Farmington exchange was arranged.
“Hundreds of players have passed through the club and enjoyed being part of the Farmington family thanks to Colin, creating the largest girls’ and women’s club in Angus.”
Past and current Angus councillors have also remembered Colin fondly for his good humour, friendship and dedication to the town. Angus Provost Brian Boyd said: “It is so sad, I always think of him as Mr Forfar.”
Arrangements for Colin’s funeral are yet to be confirmed.