Joe cared deeply and had the town’s interests at heart
Tributes have poured in for a pillar of the East Kilbride community who fought passionately for what he believed in.
Joe Allan passed away at the age of 87 at Hairmyres Hospital recently.
At the heart of many a campaign, he was instrumental in creating the East Kilbride History Society with late wife Jean, and was also a lynchpin of Westwood Community Council and served on and chaired East Kilbride Housing Forum.
He was born in Elgin in 1934 to parents Minnie and Tom Allan and has a sister, Vera.
The family moved to the Dennistoun area of Glasgow and he attended Golfhill Primary School and Whitehill Secondary School.
Joe married Jean in 1957 in Glasgow and they remained together for 56 years until she died in 2013.
In 1959 Joe joined the Territorial Army as a medic with the Royal Army Medical Corps and rose to the rank of Corporal.
He was immensely proud of his service in the Army and regularly wore the RAMC emblem on his blazer and tie and was a supporter of the British Legion.
Joe and Jean moved to Franklin Place in East Kilbride in 1971 to be near Joe’s dad, and they spent the rest of their lives there.
His first career was in the furniture business where he started out in Wylie Hills Department Store in Glasgow.
Later he was hired at Courts Furniture Store in East Kilbride.
After selling furniture for many years Joe took his meticulous eye for detail to the Inland Revenue Service in East Kilbride, where he would continue serving until his retirement.
Joe also took great pride in his activism and leadership in the trade unions.
One of Joe’s three nieces, Linda Jantzen, said: “He cared deeply about standing up for people’s rights and benefits and worked tirelessly to ensure their voices were properly represented.
“Joe was also keenly interested in politics and a staunch supporter of the Scottish Labour Party.
“He devoted a lot of his personal time to actively participate in local and national elections.
“And he loved trains so much that when he and Jean visited Vera in 1982, who had moved to the States, they flew to New York City and took the train all the way from there to North Dakota, 1500 miles away.”
Joe was a member of the National Trust for Scotland and, along with Jean, was committed to protecting the environment.
One of the many causes they also supported together was the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB). As well as doing his best to protect the heritage of East Kilbride, Joe’s talents helped save landmarks further afield.
In 2016 he launched a campaign to “take back” internationallyrenowned Slain’s Castle in Aberdeenshire from developers and have it turned over to the nation.
Joe became a hero in some circles as “the pensioner who sank his teeth into” ensuring plans to convert the castle – famously linked to Bram Stoker’s Dracula novel – into holiday condos would never come to fruition.
In April 2018 the castle was finally B-listed, but Joe would not be satisfied until it came under the care of the National Trust.
Linda added: “Joe earned the friendship and admiration of his colleagues at work and his fellow members of the East Kilbride History Society.
“All of Joe’s family would like to thank the many people who loved and cared for him, especially following Jean’s death.”
East Kilbride MSP Collette Stevenson said: “Joe was a real community stalwart and always had the town’s interest at heart.
“He was pivotal in setting up Westwood Community Council and was always keeping himself busy. He will be sadly missed.”
Retired East Kilbride MSP Linda Fabiani said: “I was sad to hear about Joe’s passing. Since my very first hustings through my whole elected career, Joe was part of my political life.
“We didn’t always agree on the way forward for Scotland though we seldom disagreed on issues of fairness, the promotion of East Kilbride and the importance of our heritage and culture.
“I liked and respected Joe. He was a clever, caring man who I will remember fondly.”
South Lanarkshire Council’s chairman of community and enterprise resources Councillor John Anderson said: “Joe Allan was known for his hard work over the years supporting the community and protecting the built and natural heritage of the area.
“I had the good fortune to know Joe personally for many years. On behalf of the community and the council I would like to offer his family and friends condolences on his passing, and also express our gratitude for his dedication and contribution to East Kilbride and the surrounding area.”
Fellow East Kilbride Councillor, Gerry Convery, said: “Joe was a real stalwart in the community all his life.
“He had his hand in a number of organisations, from Westwood Community Council to the history society and housing forum and he will be a sad loss to all these organisations as well as to the town as a whole.”