For more than three decades Hugh Fraser was a stalwart of Aberlour.
Born and brought up on Speyside, he spent his professional life with the Bank of Scotland with spells in Moray as well as in Edinburgh and Aberdeen.
However, the 74-year-old will be best remembered for his dedication and service to Aberlour, enjoyed by countless groups in the community.
The father-of-two first joined Aberlour Community Association in 1989 and remained chairman until March last year.
The former bank manager’s financial expertise spearheaded the group’s successful bid to take over the village’s Fleming Hall from Moray Council as well as the application to secure ownership of the former railway station, which now welcomes visitors from across the globe as the Speyside Visitor Centre.
His influence stretched to the Aberlour Strathspey Highland Games, where he was treasurer for 25 years, and the Aberlour Senior Citizens Association, where he held the same post for 26 years.
In 2018 he was presented with a lifetime award from the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival for being the driving force behind events to encourage communities to get behind the annual extravaganza.
His commitment to his community also led to his involvement in groups at Aberlour’s Fleming Hospital, the Alice Littler Memorial Trust and several others.
However, Mr Fraser himself considered his finest achievement to be coordinating Aberlour’s Bicentenary celebrations in 2012, which culminated in a royal visit from the Duke of Rothesay.
Banffshire Lord Lieutenant Andrew Simpson described Mr Fraser as a “wonderful servant” to the area on his retirement from public life last year.
Aberlour Community Association has paid tribute to him as a “true inspiration” and “pillar of the community”.
Moray MSP Richard Lochhead said: “We’d often chat about his days working in banking and given his background, he contributed a great deal to the campaign against bank closures in Speyside.
“I always enjoyed his stories and his humour, and I know that he’ll be sorely missed.”
