I was very saddened to hear of the passing of David Murray from Kinglassie. Dave was a tireless worker on behalf of his village. I first met him back in 2007 when Kinglassie became part of my Council ward. He was active that whole time (and probably long before) in organisations like the Community Council and Kinglassie Action Group as well as being a regular at my surgeries where it was noticeable he never asked for anything for himself. It was always issues affecting the village as a whole. Me and Dave agreed on a lot of things, disagreed on others, but even when he passionately disagreed he did it in a way that we could remain friends. Dave will be a big loss to Kinglassie.
A few days after Dave died I heard of the death of Peter McCulloch from Methil. I’d known Peter since a freezing cold night in 1988 when he walked from his home in Methil to an SNP meeting in Windygates to offer to stand as a candidate in the council elections. He stood for us regularly over the next fifteen years or so, refusing to be put off by the appalling abuse he got from some (not all) of his opponents. He must also have covered every square inch of the constituency delivering SNP and Independence leaflets – regularly spending time supporting candidates in other wards even when he knew it would affect his own chances of being elected. Peter’s selfless dedication to what he believed in was an inspiration to all of us who were lucky enough to know him. I’ll never forget how much I personally owe to him or how much he gave for Independence.
On a happier note congratulations to Leslie Amateur Dramatic Club who have qualified for the Scottish Finals of the UK wide Festival of One Act Plays. I saw their performance in one of the earlier rounds and was very impressed. Alongside the very small cast of three there’s a whole army of volunteers who have put in their time and effort to get the club to this stage (no pun intended). Good luck (or Break a Leg?) to all of them in the finals.
I’m grateful to worshippers at Glenrothes Islamic Centre who let me join them for prayers on the last Friday of the holy month of Ramadan. As a lifelong Christian I’m often struck by how much our two faiths have in common despite the actions of the tiny minority trying to drive us further apart. Eid Mubarak to everyone who has just completed the month long period of fast and prayer.
And finally on a personal note thank you to the kind souls who stopped to help when I tripped and went my length in Leslie last week (and before you ask, I was stone cold sober!). One lady even drove me home as I thought I’d broken my glasses and couldn’t drive without them. A nice wee reminder that there’s a lot of goodness in ordinary folk.