Former champion athlete and Aberdeen athletics coach, Joyce Hogg, has died aged 75.
Many tributes have already been paid by the athletics world to Joyce but we look back at her early life in Dundee, her catering career in Aberdeen, and her commitment to sport.
Joyce was British over 40s champion in 1990 for 400m hurdles and triple jump and still holds an Aberdeen Amateur Athletics Club veterans’ 400m hurdles record.
Commitment
For decades Joyce and her husband, Ken, devoted their time as coaches with AAAC and, in 2019 the couple were were given a lifetime achievement award at Aberdeen Sports Awards held at P&J Live.
Joyce was born in Dundee in March 1948 to electrical engineer Charles Neil Anderson and Elspeth (McIntosh) a domestic science teacher.
She grew up with siblings Derek, Diana and Maureen and attended the primary section of Harris Academy before the family moved to Lenzie.
Joyce attended Lenzie Academy between 1959 and 1966 and was the school’s athletics champion.
Catering career
When she left school, she began studying at Robert Gordon Institute of Technology in Aberdeen before training in hospital catering and undertaking placements at Bridge of Earn and at City Hospital, Aberdeen.
During 1970 she worked as a cook at the Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh before starting work as an assistant catering officer at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary in 1971.
In the same year she met her future husband, Ken, at a dance. The couple married in 1973 and went on to have two of a family, Graeme born in 1977, and Lorna in 1979. The couple moved to Balgownie Crescent, Bridge of Don, in 1974 and remained there ever since.
Joyce went on to become depute school meals catering officer for Aberdeenshire and then deputy catering officer for Grampian Regional Council before taking a career break to have family.
In 1986 she returned to work as cook at Royal Aberdeen Golf Club, a home care supervisor for the city council and retired in 2006 as a homecare manager.
Joyce had maintained her interest in athletics throughout her life and took part in fun runs, half marathons and completed the Dundee Marathon in 1983.
Joyce, Ken, Graeme and Lorna were all members of AAAC from 1985 with Ken and Joyce taking up coaching in 1988.
She coached age group, senior and disabled athletes and went on to become a senior coach with results including club, Scottish, British and European Championships in cross-country and track and field and retired from coaching in 2019.
Baton bearer
In 2014 she was one of the baton carriers in Aberdeen for the Commonwealth Games and coached Rhona Auckland to a win in the European U23 cross-country championship in Bulgaria
Another great interest of Joyce was her garden. She spent hours working in it and took great pride in the fact that many people would stop to tell her of the joy that it brought to them, as they walked or drove past, with many even stopping their vehicles to comment to her on it.
In the 1980s she approached the council to ask to maintain the area of banking that bounded the garden, as it was unkempt. This was granted and has been well admired since.
National Trust for Scotland
Joyce played, coached and was involved in the running a badminton club until the 1990s, was a life member of National Trust for Scotland, a member of the Scottish Rock Garden Club and a keen walker.
She could often be found doing volunteer catering at events at Drum Castle and other NTS properties.
Her husband, Ken, said: “In among her own endeavours, Joyce also found time for family; supporting her own parents in their elder years.
“Despite them living over 130 miles away, she helped them maintain their own garden with regular visits,
“She supported Lorna in her sport of endurance riding, travelling the length and breadth of Scotland, England, Wales and Ireland as well as many local events and enjoyed supporting Lorna with her love of animals.
“Graeme was also supported with never ending love, care, visits and support, especially through some difficult times.”
You can read the family’s announcement here.
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