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The Herald Scotland
04-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
Stalwart of Glasgow folk scene and a 'singer who wrote songs'
Died: January 7, 2025 Geordie McIntyre, who has died aged 87, was a fine traditional singer whose involvement with traditional music and song stretched back to the early days of the folk revival in Glasgow in the 1950s. He was an accomplished interpreter of traditional material and, although he always described himself simply as a 'singer who writes songs', he was also the composer of many finely crafted songs in the traditional idiom. He was lauded by his musical peers, including luminaries such as Bert Lloyd and Hamish Henderson. More recently, in 2018, he was inducted into the Scottish Traditional Music Hall of Fame. He was many other things too: teacher, mountain man, naturalist, mentor, a fine song collector, book lover, radio restorer, husband, father, grandfather and great grandfather. To those who knew him, it was clear that family, landscape and nature, music and song were the lodestones which directed, nurtured and energised him throughout his long, joyful and well-lived life. I first met Geordie in 2004 and drawn to him especially through his song writing and his generous spirited friendship, which was part of my life thereafter. He was always upbeat, always curious, always talkative. He loved people and he loved knowledge and he was a joy to be around. These were qualities that would have made him an inspiring schoolteacher. He was also, as anyone who knew him would confirm, a champion of the truly awful joke. Family was always central to his sense of being. His own family unit was small: just his mum and his grandparents. From his evangelical lay-preacher grandfather, Dugald, he was exposed to the power of music and its ability to communicate. Dugald was also responsible for an early and pivotal experience with the landscape of Scotland beyond Glasgow when he took Geordie on a bus trip to Arrochar. Read more Scottish farmer who pioneered a new way of doing dairy dies | The Herald Scots-Norwegian industrialist with one of UK's best-known brands dies | The Herald Geordie had been watching the natural world around Govanhill by this time, noting, for example, the cry of the corncrakes near the industrial wasteland at Polmadie, but seeing the mountains at the head of Loch Long expanded his horizons. Aged just 13, he got his first bike and so began his adventures in the hills beyond the city. Geordie enrolled to serve his radio apprenticeship when he was 15 and it was here that he struck up a lifelong friendship with Jim McLean in the sharing of their love of music and song alongside their youthful kilted escapades across Europe. Geordie's mum, Ada, was another huge influence in his life. She was a working mum, a cinema usherette at a time when going to the pictures was a huge part of Glasgow social life. Geordie had immense admiration for Ada and recalled her encyclopaedic knowledge of cinema. Geordie had a daughter, Eileen, by his first marriage to Maureen and his second wife, Catherine, died too young after they'd been together only nine years. When he married Alison McMorland, herself a highly acclaimed singer and writer, he gained three more daughters, Anna, Kirsty and Katy. Geordie and Alison agreed that it had been a miracle that they had found each other and their deep connection and mutual support was evident to anyone who knew them as a couple. Theirs was a partnership of equals which allowed both to thrive and grow. But what made Geordie want to be a singer and then a songwriter in the first place? Geordie himself recognised a number of pivotal moments. Although there was a piano and music was already present in the family home, an important event was the arrival of first electricity and then a radiogram into the Govanhill home when Geordie was 11 or 12. This brought into the home the voice of Tennessee Ernie Ford with songs like, Sixteen Tons, and Dark as a Dungeon, strong narrative songs that Geordie was immediately drawn to. Another pivotal moment came when he was climbing Ben Ledi, when the lad he was with spontaneously burst into song, with a version of The Barnyards o Dalgetty. Geordie described this moment, of hearing the unaccompanied voice singing, as a kind of watershed point for him. Yet another came when he was working as a broadcast technician and he met Andrew Tannahill, a descendant of the weaver poet, Robert Tannahill and consummate book lover. Through a fortuitous bump with a garden wall and the gift of books the men became firm friends and this led to Geordie making some of his first fieldwork recordings. As his life as a fieldworker developed, Geordie recorded and then wrote songs for a number of those he interviewed, including International Brigadier, Eddie Brown, for whom he wrote, Another Valley. Geordie was developing as a singer and a songwriter and as an interpreter of traditional songs and he loved the intellectual challenge of interpreting songs texts – a process he described as 'joyful'. He was also reaching out to find others who shared his passion. 'I felt immediately at home' he said of his first encounter with the Glasgow Folk Song Society, and he would go on to be a central member of the club, supporting and nurturing singers, encouraging their development in both performance and as students of song. In honouring Geordie's song writing, my own favourites among his compositions are those about nature, such as Cloudberry Day, Rowan in the Rock, Where Ravens Reel and, especially, Inveroran, a deceptively simple song: just 12 lines and a repeating refrain. The simplicity of the song hides the huge depth of meaning and the skilful artistry that Geordie brought to his craft. Each line, each word is full of meaning and resonance. In a way, the song is like the man himself. At a casual glance, pretty straightforward, easy going, certainly memorable. Look a little closer and you'll see the layers of reflection, subtlety and integrity that lie within. Alison told me that Geordie had planned his farewell gathering in minute detail: the humanist celebrant, the music and song, the images and the film. I'm not sure if he could have left directions for the weather, the time of year, or the setting, but it could certainly have been the case. Up among the mountains on a clear, crisp, shiny, sunlit day with a smattering of snow on the hills, it felt as if this would have been just the setting that he would have arranged himself. Geordie said of his song, The Carrying Stream that it was 'a goodnight song which acknowledges our debt to the countless contributors, known and anonymous, who have enriched our song tradition'. Geordie's farewell gathering ended with a film of him standing among the hills, naming each one in turn. It was a joy to hear his voice. In that same spirit, the final words of this tribute also go to the man himself, quoting from The Carrying Stream: 'So before we depart/ Here's to the next time, Safe be your journey/ As you take to your road.' Caroline Milligan At The Herald, we carry obituaries of notable people from the worlds of business, politics, arts and sport but sometimes we miss people who have led extraordinary lives. That's where you come in. If you know someone who deserves an obituary, please consider telling us about their lives. Contact
The Herald Scotland
03-05-2025
- General
- The Herald Scotland
Father who led powerful campaign after the murder of his daughter
Died: April 16, 2025 Hu Jones, who has died aged 87, epitomised the very best of what it means to be human. A devoted father, husband, teacher, and quiet force for good, Hu lived a life defined not by its sorrows, though he endured them, but by his grace, strength, and unwavering commitment to love and community. Hu was a mathematics teacher whose love of education was matched only by his love for people. He could hold a conversation about anything – from astrophysics to the nuances of STEM – yet always circled back to what mattered most: children, learning, and kindness. A man of sharp intellect and deep humility, he taught not just algebra and equations, but empathy and encouragement – and his memory for his former pupils' names was undimmed, despite the years. With his beloved wife Bea, Hu raised two children in Weston, Staffordshire: Moira, who settled in Glasgow, and Grant, who lived in Australia. Their lives revolved around the gentle routines of family life: work, long-distance calls to keep in touch across time zones, visits to Moira's bright, welcoming flat in Queen's Park, and the ordinary joys of shared meals and laughter. Hu delighted in the life they built together: a simple, grounded joy that would be forever changed. In 2008, their world was shattered when Moira was murdered in Queen's Park, Glasgow. It is impossible to comprehend such a loss – a tragedy that tore through everything they knew and loved. The moment of the knock on the door, the delivery of the "death message," marked a line in their lives: a before and an after. But Hu and Bea chose not to let despair have the final word. Out of their unimaginable grief, they created The Moira Fund, a charity dedicated to supporting families who have lost loved ones to murder and culpable homicide. It was an act of pure courage, to take pain and forge from it something enduring and meaningful. Backed by Elaine C Smith and Dame Elish Angiolini, Hu and Bea campaigned tirelessly for victims' rights and were instrumental in the establishment of Scotland's national homicide support service. Bea was often the public face of the Moira Fund – warm, articulate, deeply committed – but Hu was the foundation: steady, organised, thoughtful, always present. A man with a twinkle in his eye and a heart big enough to hold the sorrow of others alongside his own, he listened more than he spoke, but when he did speak, it mattered. He challenged injustice, questioned complacency, and never let anyone feel unseen. Read more Scottish farmer who pioneered a new way of doing dairy dies | The Herald Scots-Norwegian industrialist with one of UK's best-known brands dies | The Herald They kept Moira's flat in Queen's Park, afterwards. On one visit, Hu walked me back to my car and gently remarked that the spot where I'd parked was the same place where Moira had left her car the night she was taken. Such details – quietly carried – are the threads of trauma that never truly leave. And yet Hu kept going, never retreating from the world, but walking through it with grace. Eleven years ago, the Moira Fund launched the Moira Run, a 5K in Queen's Park that quickly became a fixture in the community. Hundreds turned out year after year - some to run, some to remember, some simply to show solidarity. Elaine C Smith would warm up the crowd, volunteers buzzed with energy, and Hu would be there - thanking stewards, walking and talking with the runners. He loved the group from Neeson's bar who turned up every year dressed in absurd costumes – dinosaurs, clowns – and brought levity to the day. It is a joyful event and he loved the camaraderie, the way people came together in Moira's name. And yet, before every run, Hu and Bea would begin the day quietly, at the spot where their daughter's body had been found. From that place of private grief, they stepped into the bustle of public remembrance, always bridging the two. Over the years, they were joined by other families who had also lost loved ones to violence – people who ran with photos pinned to their shirts, who joined in wholeheartedly with the day and perhaps healed a little. Through their fundraising, the Moira Fund has helped over 5000 people, a legacy not just of Moira's life, but of Hu and Bea's determination to turn pain into purpose. Though Hu and Bea lived in Staffordshire, his heart never left Scotland. Moira was there. And so, eventually, was Grant, who returned from Australia and made Scotland his home once more, becoming an award-winning landscape photographer, another way of honouring the land and the people they loved. Every day, Hu walked to the cemetery where Moira is buried. On the way, he'd talk to neighbours, learn their names, remember their stories. Cards have flooded through the letterbox since his death. One woman wrote to say that she'd met him while pregnant; her child is now six, and Hu had remembered both their names, every time. That was the man he was – present, engaged, sincere. Everyone he met mattered to him. Relationships and our connection to each other mattered to him. It was what made life meaningful. To see Hu and Bea together was to witness a partnership forged in love, assailed by sorrow, and sustained by the deepest mutual respect. Hu adored Bea. The way he spoke about her, looked at her, walked beside her, it was love that carried weight, history, humour and heartbreak. In the darkest of times, they found light in each other. Hu Jones was a man who never asked for recognition, but who quietly changed the world around him. He carried tragedy with dignity, met strangers with warmth, and built a legacy that will outlive us all. His was a life of gentle strength – not loud, not boastful – but utterly extraordinary in its humanity. He is survived by his wife Bea, his son Grant, and a community that is immeasurably better for having known him. In remembering Hu, we remember the importance of kindness, of showing up, of listening, and of love – fierce, enduring, and full-hearted. To know Hu was to be cared for, to be remembered – to be seen. And that was his greatest gift. Karyn McCluskey is chief executive of Community Justice Scotland At The Herald, we carry obituaries of notable people from the worlds of business, politics, arts and sport but sometimes we miss people who have led extraordinary lives. That's where you come in. If you know someone who deserves an obituary, please consider telling us about their lives. Contact
The Herald Scotland
26-04-2025
- Business
- The Herald Scotland
Scots-Norwegian industrialist with one of UK's best-known brands dies
Died: March 10, 2025 Robin Salvesen, who has died aged 89, was a shipping industrialist and fourth-generation scion of the Scots-Norwegian Christian Salvesen family business. A quietly spoken, courteous man, he was Vice Lord Lieutenant of East Lothian, a kirk elder, a Territorial Army major with the Royal Scots, a Conservative local councillor, a keen market gardener and a record 82-prize-winning bowman with The Royal Company of Archers, the monarch's bodyguard in Scotland. For 25 years he was Consul General for Denmark in Edinburgh and Leith, for which he was created Knight First Class of the Order of the Dannebrog (the Danish flag). Other awards include the Scouting Silver Acorn and being named a 'Pillar of Leith' alongside businessman Sir Tom Farmer and Hibs legend Pat Stanton. Salvesen was the father of seven children and 19 grandchildren. His dedication to public service, shared with his wife Sari, saw them entertain a hugely diverse mix of contacts at Eaglescairnie, the family home near Haddington. An engineer by training, Salvesen held several senior executive and board positions in Christian Salvesen, the Leith-based firm founded in 1872 by his Norwegian great-grandfather Salve Christian Frederik Salvesen. Originally shipbrokers, the firm switched focus to become the world's largest whaling business. From 1909 to 1963, it made its fortune in Antarctic waters from a base at Leith Harbour on South Georgia, 800 miles southeast of the Falklands. The mainstay of Salvesen's career was his leadership of Christian Salvesen's marine division, latterly focused on UK coastal transport. His knowledge, experience, and interpersonal skills found many outlets: negotiating the dockers' disputes of the 1970s and 80s, helping adapt the fleet for the North Sea oil industry and helping pioneer company shipbuilding at the Sumitomo yard near Tokyo. Read more During his career, much of it under the leadership of his cousin Max Harper Gow, Christian Salvesen became one of the largest family-owned businesses in the UK before floating on the stock exchange in 1985. The firm innovated aggressively, especially in cold storage, power generation and logistics. For decades, its giant white lorries seemed ubiquitous on roads across Britain and Europe. In 2007, the name disappeared following a merger with a French rival. Outside the business, from which he retired as a non-executive director in 2002, Salvesen held many positions related to seafaring, including the General Council of British Shipping, Lloyds Register of Shipping, the Glasgow College of Nautical Studies and the Lights Advisory Committee, which deals with lighthouses and navigation buoys. Robin Salvesen was born in Edinburgh in 1935 and brought up in Bonnington House near Kirknewton, now the home of Jupiter Artland. He was educated at Cargilfield and Fettes, where he played in an undefeated rugby first XV. He served in the 5th Battalion Queen's Own Nigeria Regiment during national service. His posting was to Ibadan, 75 miles northeast of Lagos. Among his trials in this hot and mosquito-ridden place was overseeing the transfer of his company from Lagos back to barracks on bumpy roads in three-ton trucks full of soldiers, wives, children, cockerels and other livestock. In 1956, he went up to University College, Oxford, where he met Sari (née Clarke). The open house offered to students at Oxford's Iona Society by Rev Raymond Bailey and his wife Mary inspired their own approach. Their son-in-law, the Rev Keith Ross, holds up their ecumenical partnership as an inspiration to practically minded Christians. In his 2003 memoir Ship's Husband, Salvesen describes how, when he joined in 1959, he had to learn the business from the bottom up. He was dispatched as an engineer on six-month trading voyages. The first was on the giant whaling factory ship Southern Venturer en route from Norway to South Georgia. It was an arduous but exciting apprenticeship in icy, gale-tossed waters amid oil, whale blood and blubber. On one occasion, the engines were stilled while the ship's surgeon successfully removed a speck of metal from his eye with an improvised instrument. Otherwise, the family name afforded him no special privileges. One often-told story has it that, introducing himself to the foreman: 'I'm Robin Salvesen,' got the answer, 'Aren't we all. Now what's your name?'. Over 60 years at Eaglescairnie, the Salvesens welcomed Territorial Army training camps, Training for Ministry weekends, overseas business colleagues, Scout groups, church groups and teenage reel parties, where Sgt Ash of the TA policed the drinks table. In later life, he was an active elder at St Mary's, Haddington, valuing his visits to the 15-30 homes of his 'district'. Other good causes included King George's Fund for Sailors (now Seafarers UK), the Association for the Protection of Rural Scotland and contributing to improved conditions at Scots Veteran Residences. An honour guard of the High Constables of Leith attended his funeral. Salvesen loved to be outside, whether in the market garden, at archery matches, shooting, walking the dog, fishing, family croquet, tennis, golf or playing with the children. In his final years, he enjoyed sitting in the sun watching the cows in the field, birds passing and trees swaying in the breeze. Robin Salvesen is survived by Sari, his four daughters and two sons. His youngest son Iver died in 2016, aged 47, of heart failure while carrying out voluntary work in Tanzania. His younger brother Alastair, also a prominent Scots businessman and generous philanthropist, predeceased him by three months. Colin Donald
Scotsman
24-04-2025
- Business
- Scotsman
Obituaries: Robin Salvesen, senior executive at Christian Salvesen who was devoted to public service and family
Robin Salvesen, shipping industrialist. Born: 4 May, 1935 in Edinburgh. Died: 10 March, 2025 in Haddington, aged 89 Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Robin Salvesen, who has died at the age of 89, was a shipping industrialist and fourth-generation scion of the Scots-Norwegian Christian Salvesen family business. Robin Salvesen was a member of The Royal Company of Archers and a 'Pillar of Leith' A quietly spoken, courteous man, he was Vice Lord Lieutenant of East Lothian, a kirk elder, a Territorial Army major with the Royal Scots, a Conservative local councillor, a keen market gardener and a record 82-prize-winning bowman with The Royal Company of Archers, the monarch's bodyguard in Scotland. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad For 25 years he was Consul General for Denmark in Edinburgh and Leith, for which he was created Knight First Class of the Order of the Dannebrog (the Danish flag). Other awards include the Scouting Silver Acorn and being named a 'Pillar of Leith' alongside businessman Sir Tom Farmer and Hibs legend Pat Stanton. Salvesen was the father of seven children and 19 grandchildren. His dedication to public service, shared with his wife Sari, saw them entertain a hugely diverse mix of contacts at Eaglescairnie, the family home near Haddington. An engineer by training, Salvesen held several senior executive and board positions in Christian Salvesen, the Leith-based firm founded in 1872 by his Norwegian great-grandfather Salve Christian Frederik Salvesen. Originally shipbrokers, the firm switched focus to become the world's largest whaling business. From 1909 to 1963, it made its fortune in Antarctic waters from a base at Leith Harbour on South Georgia, 800 miles south-east of the Falklands. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The mainstay of Salvesen's career was his leadership of Christian Salvesen's marine division, latterly focused on UK coastal transport. His knowledge, experience, and interpersonal skills found many outlets: negotiating the dockers' disputes of the 1970s and 80s, helping adapt the fleet for the North Sea oil industry and helping pioneer company shipbuilding at the Sumitomo yard near Tokyo. During Salvesen's career, much of it under the leadership of his cousin Max Harper Gow, Christian Salvesen became one of the largest family-owned businesses in the UK before floating on the stock exchange in 1985. The firm innovated aggressively, especially in cold storage, power generation and logistics. For decades, its giant white lorries seemed ubiquitous on roads across Britain and Europe. In 2007, the name disappeared following a merger with a French rival. Outside the business, from which he retired as a non-executive director in 2002, Salvesen held many positions related to seafaring, including the General Council of British Shipping, Lloyds Register of Shipping, the Glasgow College of Nautical Studies and the Lights Advisory Committee, which deals with lighthouses and navigation buoys. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Robin Salvesen was born in Edinburgh in 1935 and brought up in Bonnington House near Kirknewton, now the home of Jupiter Artland. He was educated at Cargilfield and Fettes, where he played in an undefeated rugby first XV. He served in the 5th Battalion Queen's Own Nigeria Regiment during National Service. His posting was to Ibadan, 75 miles north-east of Lagos. Among his trials in this hot and mosquito-ridden posting was overseeing the transfer of his company from Lagos back to barracks on bumpy roads in three-ton trucks full of soldiers, wives, children, cockerels and other livestock. In 1956, he went up to University College, Oxford, where he met Sari (née Clarke). The open house offered to students at Oxford's Iona Society by Rev Raymond Bailey and his wife Mary inspired their own approach. Their son-in-law, the Rev Keith Ross, holds up their ecumenical partnership as an inspiration to practically minded Christians. In his 2003 memoir Ship's Husband, Salvesen describes how, when he joined in 1959, he had to learn the business from the bottom up. He was dispatched as an engineer on six-month trading voyages. The first was on the giant whaling factory ship Southern Venturer en route from Norway to South Georgia. It was an arduous but exciting apprenticeship in icy, gale-tossed waters amid oil, whale blood and blubber. On one occasion, the engines were stilled while the ship's surgeon successfully removed a speck of metal from his eye with an improvised instrument. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Otherwise, the family name afforded him no special privileges. One often-told story has it that, introducing himself to the foreman: 'I'm Robin Salvesen,' got the answer, 'Aren't we all. Now what's your name?'. Over 60 years at Eaglescairnie, the Salvesens welcomed Territorial Army training camps, Training for Ministry weekends, overseas business colleagues, scout groups, church groups and teenage reel parties, where Sgt Ash of the TA policed the drinks table. In later life, he was an active elder at St Mary's, Haddington, valuing his visits to the 15-30 homes of his 'district'. Other good causes included King George's Fund for Sailors (now Seafarers UK), the Association for the Protection of Rural Scotland and contributing to improved conditions at Scots Veteran Residences. An honour guard of the High Constables of Leith attended his funeral. Salvesen loved to be outside, whether in the market garden, at archery matches, shooting, walking the dog, fishing, family croquet, tennis, golf or playing with the children. In his final years, he enjoyed sitting in the sun watching the cows in the field, birds passing and trees swaying in the breeze. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Robin Salvesen is survived by Sari, his four daughters and two sons. His youngest son Iver died in 2016, aged 47, of heart failure while carrying out voluntary work in Tanzania. His younger brother Alastair, also a prominent Scots businessman and generous philanthropist, predeceased him by three months. Obituaries
