Published: Thursday, 10th April, 2008 09:00
Inspirational duo claim town’s prize
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• Ruth Knight (far left) and Jane Fairnie (far right) were jointly honoured for their exceptional contributions to Musselburgh life. QMU vice-principal Rosalyn Marshall (also pictured) presented the duo with the award for citizen of the year.
MUSSELBURGH’S great and the good turned out in huge numbers to honour two of their own at the town’s annual citizen of the year award.
With not a seat left to spare, joint winners Jane Fairnie and Ruth Knight were presented with trophies by Queen Margaret University vice-principal, Rosalyn Marshall. . . and received a rousing reception from town leaders and distinguished guests.
They were both presented with an intricate cut-glass bowl, bearing the inscription ‘Citizen of the Year’. They received the accolade for services to the community in very different areas of town life.
Mrs Fairnie is an Honest Toun stalwart and has been at the helm of Musselburgh Congregational Church junior choir for a quarter of a century.
Her involvement with the group has led to generations of choristers still referring to her as ‘auntie’.
The 62-year-old is also president of Musselburgh Sea Cadets (since 2005), president of the town’s Women’s Fellowship (since 2003). and was a chief organiser of the Fishermen’s Walk in 1997.
“I joked with someone weeks ago that if they are stuck for a citizen of year, I would happily be it,” she said. “So when I got the call to say I had been nominated and I was absolutely ecstatic.”
Jane accepted her prize a stone’s throw from where she was born in Fisherrow, telling guests: “You have made this wee Musselburgh lassie very happy! It’s the greatest honour to be citizen of the year for the town I love.”
Co-recipient of this year’s honour, Ruth Knight, was lauded for her unflinching five-year bid to erect a war memorial in commemoration of local soldiers who died in the Second World War. The 70-year-old was inspired after visiting her brother’s grave – one of 7,000 at Reichswald Forest Cemetery in Germany – 13 years ago.
She discovered there was no comprehensive list of fallen Musselburgh soldiers and set about compiling an authoritative record.
In 1995, having exhausted all the available research channels, Mrs Knight trawled through archives of the Courier and other newspapers in a bid to uncover all the names of local men who had died in the war.
One year later, with the support of the community council, a public meeting was held – attended by many relatives of fallen soldiers from the war – and a committee established. They raised a fantastic £30,000 in just two years thanks to generous businesses and fundraising events such as coffee mornings and fashion shows.
East Lothian Council matched the funding and the Mall Avenue war memorial was finally erected in 1999.
“I was absolutely taken aback when I got the call to tell me I had been selected,” she said. “I was very surprised to be getting it. The way I look at it is that I did not do it for recognition, I did it for my brother and the other young men from Musselburgh who died in the Second World War.”
The names of 214 fallen soldiers are now proudly displayed on the fountain plaque.
This year marks the town’s sixth citizen of the year awards and organisers have hailed this year’s event as the most successful to date, marking a stark contrast to its inauspicious beginnings in a small conference room in the Brunton Hall seven years ago.
The inaugural ceremony attracted just 25 people – a quarter of whom were nominees – in comparison with the 80-strong audience that graced this year’s event in the Brunton’s ‘Supper Room’.
Gladys Gray, the first citizen of the year winner, praised the community council for making the awards ceremony such an key community event.
The 78-year-old pianist was gifted the award for her musical accompaniment to many local performances including those of Musselburgh Amateur Music Association and, like Jane, the junior choir.
But the sprightly pensioner said a change in format over the years may have diluted some of the award’s original excitement. Today, winners are informed before the event but in its inception nominees were kept in the dark until the day of the awards.
“The winners now know before they come to the ceremony [who wins] whereas when we all came we were sitting wondering and didn’t know until the moment it was read out,” she said.
“I think it was more exciting then and was a nicer idea but this is how they like it now.”
But another former citizen of the year, Tom Renouf, a member of the 51st Highland Divison which helped liberate the Belgian town of La Roche-en-Ardenne during the Second World War, said that the drama may have been ceded to thoughtfulness.
“It could be a little bit embarrassing if there are six people nominated and waiting there and one winner is announced – the other five are left out of it,” said Dr Renouf, secretary of the 51st Highland Division Veterans’ Association.
Drama aside, all six Musselburgh councillors were present as well as representatives from the town’s major clubs and societies.
Councillor John Caldwell summed up the ethos of the awards.
“This is all about people who don’t want to blow their own trumpet,” he said.
“Jane has always been willing to lend a hand and been a prominent person in the town since as far back as I can remember.
“With Ruth, she worked for something that means a lot to the people of Musselburgh. Whenever they go and see to the war memorial and see the names of a friend or family member, they recognise that she put a lot in to provide that.”
Musselburgh and Inveresk Community Council chairwoman, Irene Tait, said: “These two people are both very deserving recipients, working tirelessly in the community but in different areas. I am very pleased that they have been honoured with this award.”
QMU vice-principal, Rosalyn Marshall, added: “I was inspired by the stories that I heard tonight by these two unsung heroes and I thought it would be of great inspiration for some of our students.
“I know they [the students] do want to work in the community and I thought we could get some projects going and we could award a prize.”
“I think I will talk to the chair of the community council and see if that is something we could do in future years.”
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