AITKEN FAMILY WITH ROOTS IN FORFAR
MEMBERS of a Forfar family will revisit their roots when they hold a gathering in the Royal Hotel, some 55 years after leaving the town.
Ian Aitken contacted the Dispatch and Herald keen to rekindle contacts with old friends of the family and invite them along to the gathering, which will be held on the evening of Saturday, July 31.
Forfar was home to the Aitken family from 1942 to 1955 when they lived in Carseburn Road before moving to the Brechin Road for four years.
Ian said: "My brother and sisters and I spent our schooldays in Forfar. I attended the Queen Victoria boarding school in Dunblane but my sister Joan attended Forfar Academy.
"I remember cycling to Montrose and Arbroath before our parents moved to Glasgow and from there the family dispersed to different parts of the country.
"We have many happy memories of Forfar and we are hoping to try to contact any old friends to invite them along to the Royal Hotel."
The family were well known in Forfar and remember a number of friends such as Jean Mckay, who married Baxter Saddler, Jean Sorley, Alice Leighton, Sheena Smyth, Dorothy Little, Margaret Ogg, Bobby Hastie, Sandy Lennon and Elsie Macintosh.
Ian continued: "As Mary died 15 years ago, there are now four of us - Joan, the eldest, myself, Kathleen and Bill.
"Most of the family are coming for the gathering and because we are staying at the Royal Hotel we will be there all day on Saturday, July 31. I will be in Forfar for a week and most of the family will be staying Friday to Sunday.
"Not all of us can be there however as we come from a service family that moved all around the country. Only one of us still resides in Scotland, Kathleen, who lives in Cumbernauld.
"It would be nice to meet up with old friends at our gathering in Forfar. Our family decided to have these gatherings every two years or so, following a tragedy in the family a few years ago, at which time a lot of the family had never even met.
"This year we chose Forfar, although it is a bit difficult in terms of location as most of the family now live in England. Many family members are travelling quite a long journey to be there.
"My son Malcolm will travel from Chicago to join us in Forfar along with our neice Linda who travels from Switzerland. I live in Leighton Buzzard with my wife, not far from where I started my career training as a 17-year-old apprentice at RAF Halton, 14 miles away.
"From there I moved to RAF Ballykelly in Northern Ireland before being posted to RAF Gutersloh in Germany.
"I finished my time at RAF Scampton in Lincolnshire and moved to Leighton Buzzard where I met my wife. We relocated to South Africa for 18 years, returning in 1992, and it was hard to keep up with everyone.
"The last time I was in Forfar was in March last year when my sister Kathleen and I spent a few days there. We saw how much the place has changed and noticed how many buildings had disappeared, such as the old station, the barracks and the jute mills.
"Before that I was in Forfar 15 years ago, when I was on a business trip up in Aberdeen and I drove back down through Forfar."
If you would like to contact the family, email Ian at miaitken@aol.com or call 01525 385835.
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Weather for Forfar
Thursday 09 February 2012
Today
Light rain
Temperature: 2 C to 5 C
Wind Speed: 8 mph
Wind direction: South west
Tomorrow
Light rain
Temperature: 3 C to 5 C
Wind Speed: 6 mph
Wind direction: South west
