Unable to celebrate their grandfather’s 95th birthday in person, two Aberdeen ex-pats in Australia pulled out all the stops to give him a present to remember.
Emily Fraser and her husband Sam, along with other family members, used to regularly make the trip out to Banchory to visit granddad Ernest Singer.
But as the pair moved Down Under last August, and other relatives have been unable to visit his sheltered housing apartment due to the coronavirus pandemic, he has been left isolated and “desperate for a hug” for the last seven long weeks.
Mr Singer still uses the phone and video-calling to speak to loved ones regularly, and also converses with staff and the other residents at Dalvenie Gardens.
But as he turned 95 on Monday, all his family wanted to do was make a fuss and help him celebrate in person.
Putting their heads together, Mrs Fraser and her brother Cameron drew up an elaborate plan to mark the occasion.
They organised for their Dons-mad granddad to receive a video message from captain and keeper Joe Lewis, then roped in Twa Pipers musician Callum Lamont for an extra surprise.
Mrs Fraser said: “It came to 5pm and grandpa said the carer came in to give him his medications and said he needed to come to the window to see something.
“Mum and dad had set up ‘Happy 95th Birthday’ banners and balloons from the washing lines in the garden below his window and Callum was standing there, in his tartan trews, playing Happy Birthday on the bagpipes.
“Gramps said he couldn’t believe it – he welled up.
“My mum was standing in the car park watching and said she had tears streaming down her face.
“Callum played the bagpipes and different songs for over half an hour and every window of each apartment had a face peering out clapping and smiling – more than 20 elderly people getting so much joy from such a simple gesture.”
She added: “We all absolutely adore him and worship the ground he walks on.
“Although not being there in person was heart-breaking, to see his wee face looking out in awe of Callum playing the bagpipes is something I’ll never forget.”
