Memorial bench for former chair of BRCC
Dear Editor
On a warm and sunny morning in June, a group of past community councillors got together with family and friends at the top of Knockie Hill to remember former chair of the community council, David Bailey.
He had been instrumental in helping establish the resurrected community council after it went into abeyance in 2014, and chaired the ‘new’ community council steadfastly for the next two years.
He set an excellent example of chairmanship and helped build strong connections with the community and local council, addressing many important local issues during his term.
After losing his battle with cancer in late 2016 it was decided that a memorial should be raised to remember David, so Fife carpenter and designer, Leo Norris, was contacted and commissioned by former community councillor Morag Young to create something special.
Previous BRCC member and walking group companion of David, Ian Richards, helped Mrs Young choose a suitable location for the bench and, after a couple of different site visits and much discussion, a suitable spot was found along the top of Knockie Hill.
The landowner, Richard Christie, graciously gave his permission for the installation, and PKC was contacted to lay the foundations for the bench.
BRAN did a fantastic job of clearing and preparing the area for the bench to overlook the town and hills beyond.
Past members of BRCC, Ian Cruickshank, Brian Smith, Mary Duncan, Mr Richards and Mrs Young – along with elected member Cllr Caroline Shiers and BRCC – all contributed to pay for the memorial bench.
Mrs Young would like to thank all those involved who supported the project, and was delighted that Mrs Bailey and her sons, Keiron and Gavin, were able to attend a very relaxed and informal dedication ceremony for the new bench, which they were thrilled to attend.
The bench, with its very distinctive design, has been engraved with three Pictish symbols which represent David’s interest in Pictish history and culture.
Robin Duncan,
Blairgowrie