Aberdeen councillors have described their shock at the death of popular colleague Avril MacKenzie – who was attending meetings with a smile on her face just days before she died.
Wednesday’s council meeting started with members paying tribute to the late Conservative.
Avril, who represented the Dyce, Bucksburn and Danestone ward, died on Thursday December 1.
Councillor attended training session in week she died
Independent councillor Marie Boulton told the chamber that she was aware Avril had been having some health issues.
But by the time she died, Mrs Boulton thought her friend was “on the mend”.
Ms Boulton said: “On the Monday before she died we were at training together.
“She was giving me her usual smile and wave but she’d not been feeling 100%… It was such a shock when I heard of her passing.”
“It was so unexpected as I thought she was on the mend.”
Remembering her, Ms Bouton said Avril could be “quite sparky, she said it how she saw it”.
She went on to praise Avril’s dedication to her mother and her dog Loki.
Lord provost David Cameron told the chamber he first met Avril at the 2017 election.
But she later told him that they had already met back in the late 1970s as he had been her lecturer when she was a hospitality student at Robert Gordon University.
Speaking of her “untimely passing”, Mr Cameron said: “I had always found her to be pleasant, fair, and a very nice person to be around.”
Members ‘still in shock’ about Avril’s passing
Conservative group leader councillor Ryan Houghton described Avril as being “kind, sincere and generous”.
Speaking of her election success in 2017 he said: “It must have been one of the proudest days of her life, she was beaming from ear to ear.”
But one particular fond memory of Avril sparked up laughter in the chamber.
“She would always be offering sweets in committees, especially if someone was speaking for too long and she was getting a little bit fed up which was always warmly received,” he revealed.
Mr Houghton went on to say that some members were “still in shock” about Avril’s death as it was so sudden.
“She was up every day walking her beloved dog Loki and it really came out of the blue,” he added.
Avril missed out on council seat decade before election win
Avril’s fellow ward members also took time to share their memories of her.
Labour leader councillor Barney Crockett told the chamber that Avril first stood as a Conservative candidate back in 2007 but was an “early victim” of the electoral system.
He said: “She had received a very buoyant Conservative vote to the point it was assumed she had been elected.
“She had a very high level of first preference votes but just came short.
“But she rebounded in the community, continued to be that active and generous voice and she will be sadly missed.”
While SNP councillor Gill Al-Samarai said the pair enjoyed “quite healthy debate” in community council meetings.
Avril was ‘always ready to share a joke’
Councillor Martin Greig paid tribute to Avril on behalf of the Liberal Democrats.
He said her death came as a “great shock” and offered sympathy to Avril’s family.
Mr Greig said she was “valued and trusted by all who knew her” and said she would be remembered for her “integrity, professionalism and compassion”.
But he said Avril was also known for her sense of humour, adding that she had a “lovely, warm smile and was always ready to share a joke”.
While Independent councillor Jennifer Stewart said her “heart sank” when she heard of Avril’s passing.
The late Aberdeen councillor’s funeral will be held next week.
You can watch the tributes for yourself here.
Click below for one example of Avril fighting for her community, as she highlighted speeding concerns at Stoneywood School:
Aberdeen councillor hits out at motorists speeding on road next to school
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