One determined society … and with one express purpose

THIS rather stylishly arranged group shot dates from April 1989, and records a gesture to commemorate the valuable work of the Glasgow West Conservation Society.

A seat with a memorial plaque was presented to the curator of the Botanic Gardens in the Kibble Palace.

Maureen Waddell, a past chairwoman of the society, also planted a tree in memory of three long-serving members.

The Great Western Road Defence Committee, as it was originally known, was established in 1969 “to fight plans to turn the road into an expressway, with a barrier down the middle, pavements removed, trees uprooted,” Mrs Waddell herself would later recall.

“We stopped it, and that was the biggest victory for the Society.”

Mrs Waddell’s obituary in The Herald in July 2006 noted she had been born in Calcutta, and had received an MBE from the Queen in 1994 for her conservation work in the west end of Glasgow.

It continued: “As a strong member of Kelvinside Community Council for many years, she saved many buildings from destruction and alerted residents about planning applications that would affect their daily lives.”

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