For almost 70 years, Duncan Lindsay Halliday was known as a standout member of the Ellon community.
From his decades spent supporting the work of the Boys Brigade, to his yearly appearances in the Ellon Parish Church Armistice services, the local stalwart was a well-known presence in the Aberdeenshire town.
Mr Halliday also served as club secretary of the Ellon United football team, and his love of poetry led to his involvement in the Ellon Drama Club.
He died on July 2, at 89 years old.
Born in Findon in 1931, Mr Halliday lived in Aberdeen until he married, and lived in Ellon for almost seven decades.
As a member of the 3rd Aberdeen Battalion of the Boys Brigade, he learned to play in bands, took part in rugby and football competitions, and became Aberdeen district cross-country champion.
When he was called for national service, he followed in his father’s footsteps and served in the RAF, where he learned to be an instrument technician.
When he returned to family life, Mr Halliday resumed his job at Barry, Henry and Cook, and supplemented his wages by operating the projector at the local cinema.
During his time playing for Ellon United, the team won several trophies, and he went on to become the club’s secretary, as well as the vice-president of the Aberdeenshire Amateur Football League.
He retrained in his mid-twenties , and started a career as technician at the Robert Gordon Institute of Technology, where he rose to the status of chief laboratory technician over his 34-year career for the instituter.
As he grew older, he continued his work with the Boys’ Brigade in Ellon, and he became the captain of the town’s brigade in the 1960s and early 1970s.
In 1963, he became a member of the local council and served for 12 years in roles including parks and roads convenever.
He would also go on to become the first chairman of the Ellon Academy School Board, as well as chairman of the Ellon and District Swimming Pool Trust.
For 30 years, he played bugle in the Last Post and Reveille during Ellon Parish Church’s annual Armistice services.
His talents even extended to a yearly Christmas appearance as Santa Claus, in a performance so convincing that one of his own daughters, and years later his grandchildren, failed to recognise him.
In 1998, Mr Halliday was awarded the Rotary International Award for special service.
During his later years Mr Halliday was robbed of his sight by acute glaucoma, but continued to enjoy bowling, gardening, and listening to sport.
His children described him as a “family man through and through”.
A statement put together by his family read: “At his funeral on July 9, the family were touched by the tribute paid to the former Boys’ Brigade captain by way of a guard of honour of 12 Boys’ Brigade members on the route to Ellon cemetery as well as a bugler who played The Last Post.
“The family was very proud and touched by this tribute, as organised by the current Ellon Boys’ Brigade captain Dennis Chalmers.
“Lindsay is survived by wife Cathie, his two daughters Cathlyn and Lorna, his five grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
“In one condolence card it read ‘He was a gentleman and a gentle man’, and in another, ‘A life well-lived and well-loved.’
“True words indeed.”
