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The Courier
2 days ago
- General
- The Courier
Tay ferries and Royal Arch star as amateur photographer's photos of 60s Dundee unearthed
Old photographs which capture the changing character of Dundee have been digitised to bring the past back to life. They chart moments of city history and lost landmarks in the 1960s. The photos were taken by Dundonian Ron Wilson, whose lifelong passion for photography started from a young age, inspired by his mother. Ron was a Clydesdale Bank manager and well-known in Dundee. He died aged 69 in 2000. The slides had lain untouched for decades before his family decided to preserve them for future generations, including the grandchildren he never met. They were digitised by Grant Millar from Broughty Ferry, who runs a business converting cine films, videos, slides and negatives from the analogue era. His daughter Fiona Robb, from Kinross, said the collection goes back to 1959. She said: 'We have great memories of family evenings, setting up the projector and screen to look at the slides. 'Dad was interested in capturing events on his camera. 'Because he lived in Dundee for so long, he had a lot of photos of Dundee scenes. 'We wanted to get them digitised to preserve the images and prevent any further deterioration. 'Another reason was that my parents sadly did not get to meet their grandchildren. 'Preserving the photos lets the grandchildren have an idea of what their grandparents were like, as well as seeing their parents' generation growing up. 'It will give them a visual family history.' Ron was born in March 1931 in Dundee. He grew up in Glenprosen Terrace and attended Rockwell School and Harris Academy. After a period of National Service in the RAF, he started working as a bank clerk for the Clydesdale Bank in Dundee High Street and sat his bank exams. He lived in Glenprosen Terrace until he married Marjorie MacKenzie. And it was a double wedding at St David's North Church in August 1959. Marjorie's sister, Elizabeth MacKenzie, also tied the knot with Stanley Watson Millar. Ron and Marjorie moved to Downie Park in Dundee. Fiona was born in 1962 and Murray followed in 1966. The couple were both dedicated members of the High Kirk in Kinghorne Road. In addition, Ron was a keen photographer – both of family and Scottish scenery. Ron's photographs chronicle the transformation of Dundee in the Swinging Sixties. Street scenes include the old Overgate. And the Angus Hotel is shown welcoming visitors. The Grill and Griddle is pictured serving coffee and breakfast. The Tay Ferries are also still sailing in the photographs taken by Ron. The La Scala cinema was still showing movies. The Murraygate cinema had a narrow facade consisting of a large, square tower clad in white tiles and topped by a huge golden globe. It was recognised as the grandest cinema in Dundee. However, the spectacular building disappeared in October 1968. The Royal Arch and Dundee West Station are still standing in Ron's photographs. Dundee West was one of the city's gothic architectural masterpieces. It closed in May 1965 and was then demolished in April 1966. The Royal Arch stood at the junction of Dock Street and Shore Terrace from 1850. However, it was allowed to fall into disrepair and neglect. Slow but steady work started to dismantle the arch in February 1964. It was blown up with dynamite on March 16 1964. But some saw it as a deliberate act of cultural vandalism. The start of construction of the Tay Road Bridge is also recorded by Ron. The Tay Ferries were still in daily use up until the crossing took over. Rubble from the Royal Arch was used as foundations for the approach ramp. Fiona has spent hours admiring Ron's photographs. She said the family is incredibly proud of his collection. They also show private moments which were all the more precious. 'Dad's main camera was a Pentax Spotmatic SP II,' said Fiona. 'He always took it with him on trips. 'I think our grandmother sparked his lifelong passion for photography. 'We can fondly remember our gran using a Ricohflex box camera with the viewfinder on top and trying not to cut people's heads off! 'We remember that, as children, he would get us to stand still for him to photograph family portraits. 'On Christmas Day he got us to arrange our Christmas presents for a photo. 'This was partly so we could remember who to thank. 'My brother Murray and I can remember being a tad impatient with this process, as we were not allowed to play with our presents until the photo was taken. 'Parties and family occasions were also always photographed by my dad.' After stints as a bank accountant in St Andrews and Ayr, he moved with the family to Lochgilphead, in Mid-Argyll, after he was promoted to bank manager. But he never stopped taking pictures. Ron and Marjorie continued to live there after he retired from the bank in 1988. In 1992 they moved to Forfar. Ron always wore a shirt, tie and waistcoat – even after retiring. Fiona described her dad as quiet and reserved 'with a great sense of humour'. 'He was a very good provider to our family and worked extremely hard and conscientiously, doing his best to be helpful to his many customers,' she said. 'He was a devoted husband, father, son, nephew and family man. 'As well as his interest in photography, Dad was also an avid stamp, coin and toy car collector and proudly displayed his car collection in the hall of the family home.' He was also a fan of classic films and musicals. Westerns with John Wayne, Glenn Ford and Alan Ladd were always a favourite. Fiona said: 'He was a church elder and member of the Iona Community. 'He was also a Rotarian.' His idyllic retirement was shattered when Marjorie died in 1994. She was just 58. Ron was heartbroken. 'Dad regained some zest for life but never really recovered,' said Fiona. 'In the last five years of his life, he suffered a series of mini-strokes. 'He died in 2000, aged only 69. 'We are now so very grateful that he took all these photographs, as it gives us a wonderful collection of photos of family occasions, events in the Dundee area and shots of beautiful Scottish scenery. 'Unfortunately, our parents did not live long enough to meet their grandchildren. 'We want to keep our parents' memory alive, via Dad's photos, so that Joel and Lucas will have some idea of what their grandparents were like. 'When asked, people usually described our dad as a lovely man – unless you were one of the very few who he denied a loan to…'
Metro
29-05-2025
- Business
- Metro
Nationwide announces £100 bonus for 4,000,000 members — are you due a payout?
If you bank with Nationwide, you could be due a windfall in the coming weeks — a welcome prospect for those in need of a cash boost. The building society operates as a mutual rather than a traditional bank, meaning it's owned by and run for the benefit of its members. As such, Nationwide shares profits among account holders (rather than shareholders) as part of its Fairer Share Payment initiative, commenting: '[It's] our way of rewarding those members who choose us for their everyday banking as well as having savings or a mortgage with us Now, Nationwide has revealed the details of its 2025 one-off payout, with over 4 million Brits set to receive £100 after the building society posted its full year financial results. Chief executive, Debbie Crosbie, said: 'Nationwide has had an outstanding twelve months. We returned a record £2.8 billion in value to our members and recorded our highest ever year for growth in mortgage lending and retail deposit balances, and we remain first for customer service.' Alongside its annual results, the building society shared that its Fairer Share Bonus will be running for the third year in a row, taking the total amount paid through the scheme to more than £1 billion. For 2025, Each member will receive £100, which will be automatically deposited into your Nationwide current account between June 18 and July 4, appearing on your current statement as 'Nationwide Fairer Share Payment'. And as with previous payouts, you shouldn't need to make a claim or request the money yourself. If you think you qualify but haven't heard anything from Nationwide by July 5, get in touch. And don't forget to stay aware of fraudulent attempts at obtaining your personal information to apply for the payment. To be in the running, customers must hold both a qualifying current account as well as a qualifying savings or mortgage account. Each of the bank's current accounts (excluding its subsidiaries, such as Clydesdale Bank, Virgin Money or Yorkshire Bank) are eligible, providing certain criteria are met. The first of these is that the account was open on March 31, 2025 — although those who switched accounts between January 1 and March 31 are exempt from any additional requirements. Otherwise, Nationwide explains that FlexAccount, FlexDirect or FlexBasic holders must have either: Received £500 in two of the three months of January, February and March 2025, and made two payments from their account Or , completed at least 10 payments out of the account in two of the three months of January, February and March 2025. The company adds: 'These are two separate requirements which cannot be combined. For example, if you only paid in £500 and made two payments out in February 2025 and made 10 payments out in March 2025, you will not have met these additional requirements.' Meanwhile, FlexPlus account holders must have paid their monthly fee, and FlexOne, FlexStudent or FlexGraduate customers need to have made at least one payment in or out during March 2025. More Trending Those with investment accounts and stocks and shares weren't included in the criteria, but savings account holders qualify if they had a minimum of £100 in total across Nationwide personal savings accounts or cash ISAs at the end of any day in March. When it comes to mortgages, customers must have owed at least £100 on their residential mortgage with Nationwide on March 31. Home loans through subsidiaries such as The Mortgage Works, UCB Home Loans Corporation Limited, or Derbyshire Home Loans Limited are excluded from the bonus, as are commercial mortgages and those not completed by March 31. View More » If you're not sure whether you fit the bill, you can use Nationwide's eligibility checker to work it out. Do you have a story to share? Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@ MORE: Thousands to get payouts after forced prepayment meter fitting – how to claim? MORE: Martin Lewis' MSE reveals millions can claim £70 Mastercard payout — even if they've never had one MORE: The items gathering dust in your home that are actually worth £100s
