At the tender age of 102, anyone would forgive Stanley Sandison for wanting to slow down and put his feet up.
Instead, the remarkable centenarian is living life in the fast lane as he zips around the grounds of his home in Strathdon in his little JCB truck, feeding his beloved ducks.
“I go down and feed the ducks every day, twice a day,” says Stanley, whose smooth skin and lack of wrinkles belies his 1922 date of birth.
“I give them their breakfast in the morning and then I feed them again at 4pm.
“It keeps me occupied, although my family have banned me from driving just now due to the icy weather.”
Incredible life story
As sharp as a tack and with a steely resilience and sense of humour to match, sprightly Stanley welcomed us to Candacraig estate, Billy Connolly’s former home that his daughter Lynne and her husband Marc, who is from America, bought back in 2014.
Relaxing in the opulent drawing room, a cheeky glint in his eye, it’s clear that Stanley’s piercing blue eyes have seen a lot over the past 102 years.
From serving in the Royal Marines during the Second World War to guarding some of Scotland’s most notorious criminals during his time as a prison officer, there’s not much that Stanley hasn’t seen in his life.
Born on February 10 1922 in Glenrinnes, Stanley was a country boy through and through as he grew up on a croft with his mother and grandfather.
A far cry from today’s world where children are mostly ferried to school in cars, Stanley thought nothing of walking two miles to and from Glenrinnes school every day, navigating fields and streams.
War veteran
Leaving school at the age of 14, Stanley rolled up his sleeves to work on farms around the Ellon and Mintlaw areas.
After the Second World War broke out in 1939, Stanley joined the Royal Marines, serving in Egypt, South Africa and Sicily aboard the SS Empress of Asia.
Known for his photographic memory, Stanley can vividly remember everything about his time serving in the war.
“I remember being on the ship and hearing this toot, toot and the ship would suddenly have to change direction to dodge German submarines,” says Stanley.
Bombs and mountainous waves
As well as dodging the dangers of German submarines, Stanley and the crew also had to cope with the harsh conditions on board the ship.
“We slept in hammocks and we were practically dying of hunger,” says Stanley.
“Not only that but there were mountainous waves as high as Ben Rinnes.
“But we got through it.”
After enduring such horrendous conditions, Stanley will never forget the kindness shown to them by the people of South Africa who welcomed the soldiers with love and open arms.
“When we got to Cape Town we couldn’t wish for finer people,” says Stanley.
“When we docked there, people invited us in to their houses for dinner and they gave us haircuts and showers and baths.”
Lucky escape
Stanley also had a miraculous escape during the war after he volunteered to be part of Operation Frankton, one of the most audacious Special Forces operations of the Second World War which inspired the 1955 film The Cockleshell Heroes.
During training for the mission, Stanley pulled out, a decision that undoubtedly saved his life as all but two soldiers survived the daring operation that saw the Royal Marines slip out of a Royal Navy submarine, paddle 105 miles upriver in collapsible canoes, and blow-up Nazi shipping in the docks of Bordeaux.
“There was a colossal amount of training in canoes and submarines,” says Stanley.
“I decided I didn’t want to do it, and as a volunteer I was allowed to withdraw.
“Sadly they all died apart from two.”
Keeping notorious criminals in line
Never afraid of a challenge, Stanley left the Royal Marines in 1946 and became a prison officer at HM Prison Aberdeen (formerly known as Craiginches) before moving to Peterhead Prison.
During his time working on the other side of the bars, Stanley kept some of the country’s most notorious prisoners in line, including the late Johnny Ramensky, an escapologist, safe-cracker and Second World War hero, and Jimmy Boyle, a convicted killer turned successful sculptor and author.
“Most of the time it was OK but there were a lot of times it was a bit hairy,” says Stanley.
“Johnny was a lovely guy and he was called Gentle Johnny.”
Stanley, who is dad to Lynne, Christine and Brian, and is married to his soulmate Hazel, left the prison service in 1973 before opening the Empress Cafe in Peterhead – a nod to the ship he sailed on during the war.
Stanley is always on the go
In the years just before he retired, Stanley worked as a senior security officer at British Gas in St Fergus, and the family moved to Rosehearty where they bought a grocer’s shop which Hazel ran.
Not one to sit still for long, during his retirement Stanley worked part-time at Strichen Auctions.
“He used to come home weekly with boxes of odds and ends,” laughs Lynne.
“He’s very keen on watches and clocks, but the irony is that he’s always late.”
Asked what the secret is to his longevity, Stanley says it’s simple.
“The main thing is that you just keep going,” says Stanley.
“The first thing I do in the morning is read the Press and Journal and have my porridge.”
Since turning 102 in February, Stanley is embracing life at the baronial Candacraig estate where he lives with Hazel, his daughter Lynne and her husband Marc.
In fact, the family’s famous home appears on the second season of The Reluctant Traveller with Eugene Levy, which is currently on Apple TV Plus.
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