Extended family

Childhood

As children we didn’t see much of the extended family other than our grandmother who lived in Broxburn – ‘Granny’. My grandfather died in 1956 so I don’t remember him at all. I have many memories of Ann and I going on a long bus journey from Glasgow to Broxburn and we would spend a couple of weeks in the summer playing with the next door neighbours’ children who were our age. We occasionally saw our father’s sister’s family – Aunt Marjorie and Uncle Nick and our cousins Mary and Peter. They lived in Crewe in Cheshire so we didn’t see them very often. We are still in touch with Mary and Peter.

We visited Denmark when I was 8 and 14 to see the Danish side of the family. When I was 16 I spent the summer with my uncle Bent (my mother’s brother), aunt Inger and cousins Birgit, Jorgen and Carsten. I worked as an au pair for them, helping with housework. I also had an aunt Inge (my mother’s sister) and uncle Jens, whose twin daughters Carine and Vivien are my other Danish cousins. My Danish grandparents were called Omma and Bedstefar by us. Bedstefar died when I was in my teens, and Omma used to come and visit more often so I have more memories of her. I remember she smoked cigars and didn’t seem very old!

At this point in time, 2024, the only member of the generation above us who is still alive is my aunt Inge, my mother’s sister.

Childhood friends

In Ibrox my best friend was Anna McQueen. We had been at primary school together and Ann was friendly with her older sister, Iona. Unfortunately Anna passed away in her 40s but Ann is still in touch with Iona.

The friends I had in Walmer Crescent in the 1960s were Sandra Donald and Linda Muir. I am still in touch with both of them and Linda and I meet regularly with another Ibrox girl, Vivien (MacIntyre).

At secondary school I became friendly with Beatrice Robertson (now Thompson) and she had a huge influence on me – read my testimony here.

I have also kept in touch with another friend from school, Susan Hobbs (now McNeil).

Adulthood

My sister Ann moved to London after graduating in 1973. She married in 1974, returned to Glasgow, and had her first child Andrew in 1975.

The same week that Andrew was born my mother remarried (Ralph Landman). A couple of weeks later I graduated and later moved in with Ann and her husband Rob who lived in Mount Florida. I stayed with them until I got married.

Three weeks before our wedding in 1976 Ann’s second child was born – a girl, Jo. Ann was my bridesmaid but you would never know from the photos that she had just given birth! You can read about our wedding here.

Ann and Rob moved down to England and settled in Coulsdon. Ann’s marriage later broke down and she remarried in 1988 (Richard). They still live in Coulsdon and we continue to be in touch.

James married Janet in 1978 and they lived in the north of the City. James later became known as Jim. They settled in Cambs. They had four children – Debbie, John, Scott and Katy.

James and Janet’s marriage broke down and James met Melissa. They had a son called Finlay who was born in 2000.

Unfortunately Jim passed away in 2007 aged 50. We are still in touch with Janet, Melissa and all the children.

My stepfather Ralph passed away in 1990 and my mother remarried in 1995 to John Gibson. They settled in Wishaw. In 2007 she developed cancer and passed away in April 2008. John died several years later in 2013.

In 2016 we had a family weekend in a cottage in Herefordshire and most of the family were able to come – Ann and Richard, Janet and her partner and sister, myself and Gordon plus our children (with spouses/partners) and our grandchildren. We hope to repeat this some time as the next generation is continuing to grow.

On my side of the family we currently have 7 nieces and nephews and 11 great-nieces and nephews.

In-laws

In 1976 I married Gordon and became a Cameron, which gave me another extended family. Gordon’s father had been a Church of Scotland minister in Kirkconnel, and had died in 1969. Gordon’s mother then moved to Glenluce, where his brother Kenneth and family lived. His other brother James recently retired from his company the Edinburgh Piano Company and now lives in Biggar.

We made many trips to Glenluce, especially when the boys were younger. Kenneth and his wife Sheila had three children – Ian, Aileen and Elspeth. Sadly Ian died of Motor Neuron Disease at age 42, leaving behind his wife and four young children.

Kenneth passed away in 2011. We still keep in touch with Sheila and the family. On the Cameron side we currently have 2 nieces, 10 great-nieces and nephews and 4 great-great-nephews! Aileen is a grandmother now.

When Gordon was a student he stayed with his aunt (his father’s sister) in Giffnock, Glasgow. She was known to the family as Auntie. Auntie was a retired headmistress. She had never married and loved all her nieces and nephews as her own. I was very fond of Auntie. We saw her regularly and she was great with the children, telling them stories and playing with them. She was very good to us, and the boys loved her too. She died in 1996 aged 90.

Here are some photos of Auntie.