A story Andrew Kellock wrote about a family holiday to France still sticks with his mum Claire 50 years on.
“He was so observant,” she recalls with pride.
“Andrew always had such a great aptitude for writing… He noticed so many details.”
And from a young age, Andrew always knew he wanted to be a journalist.
For decades, he put his way with words to good use as one of the best reporters in the north-east – bringing to life all the important stories in the region.
Now, following his death at the age of 58, he has been remembered as a legend of The Press and Journal – as well as a mentor and friend to generations of colleagues.
Early memories of family life
Andrew Kellock was born on June 22, 1966.
He spent his earliest years in Bo’Ness as his mum Claire and dad, also Andrew, started out their family life.
Little sister Sara followed in 1967, and Siobhan came along in 1969.
The Kellocks relocated from the town near Falkirk to Lonmay in 1971, as Andrew senior got a job as quality control manager at British Fish Canning in Fraserburgh.
Baby Francine completed the family the following year.
At their home in the village this week, Andrew’s mum and sisters recounted life growing up with him.
It was a typical 1970s boyhood in many ways.
Andrew would while away the hours playing football in the field outside, “adding his own commentary” if he couldn’t “rope in” anyone to join in.
“You’d always hear ‘he shoots… he scores’ coming from out there,” Sara says, describing shots being thumped past a pair of jumpers-turned-goalposts.
“He played football all the time. And he would sometimes sleep in his Dons strip.
“If not for his asthma, he might have been a footballer rather than a journalist.”
At school, his best subjects were English (of course), French and German.
There are also fond memories of dressing up for Rathen Gala – with the family’s Alice in Wonderland effort securing top prize.
It may be surprising for some to learn that Andrew took the starring role as Alice in the cast.
What sort of brother was Andrew?
When asked if Andrew was a doting brother to his three wee sisters, the room explodes into laughter.
“He was a torturer!” Siobhan chuckles.
His teasing would come in unusual forms, including concocting his own vocabulary of insults – often chastising the girls by telling them “don’t be such a weenst”.
And then there was his other catchphrase: “Don’t tell mum and dad!”
Despite occasionally tormenting his siblings, they all knew he had their backs – and they had no fear as they went to Fraserburgh Academy with “Keggs” as their older brother.
Siobhan adds: “He could be very protective. He would have stuck up for us if he needed to…
“But that was never necessary, with ‘Keggs’ as our brother nobody messed with us!
“It seems strange looking back. He wasn’t tough in the slightest, but he was popular.”
When punk rock came to the Broch
In his teenage years, Andrew swapped Panini stickers for punk rock and his sisters giggle as they recall helping to shape his hair into bright pink spikes.
With a poster of Sid Vicious above his bed, Andrew went all in on his new musical passion.
His mum recalls how she found out that he would even change out of his school uniform for more rebellious attire after leaving the house…
Claire, a learning support teacher at the Academy, was once shocked to bump into Andrew wearing a pair of ripped-up jeans – having removed his good trousers at the bus stop.
This change in appearance led to an exchange where a member of Claire’s church asked her if something was wrong with her son.
She replied: “No, he’s just suffering from youthfulness.”
‘He was very non-conformist’
Sara looks back at this version of Andrew with a mix of admiration and disbelief.
“He was very non-conformist,” she reflects.
“When he was a teenager he was never prefect or anything like that, he never studied…
“You would never have thought he would end up sat in an office. But he was so dedicated to his work as he got older.”
Andrew Kellock’s start in journalism at Fraserburgh Herald
After school, he went to the town’s Northern College before taking his first step into journalism at the Fraserburgh Herald.
A few months into his job as a “quite excited” cub reporter there, Andrew was plunged head-first into one of the biggest news stories in the world.
The 22-year-old found himself covering the local angle on Piper Alpha as he reported the deaths of five Fraserburgh men in the major catastrophe.
But although he wrote about all the hardest-hitting subjects in the area, there are plenty of amusing anecdotes his nearest and dearest look back on.
His family laughs as they recall Andrew as an early adopter of mobile phone technology – taking “an absolute brick” to Fraserburgh FC games to call in his reports in the late 1980s.
This was a busy time in his work and personal life.
Around the same period, he and high school girlfriend Jennifer Paul tied the knot at the Our Lady Star of the Sea church, and moved in together in Fraserburgh.
Their first daughter, Yvonne, would follow later that year.
Phoebe came next in 1990, and in 2002 Drew was born.
Making the move to Aberdeen Journals
After a few years honing his craft, Andrew moved to Aberdeen Journals in 1992 – starting in the Evening Express’s Peterhead office.
By the time Jamie Buchan joined Andrew at the Marischal Street newsroom in 1999, Kellock knew the patch like the back of his hand.
But it took an unexpected development to spark a bond between them.
Jamie recalls: “When I started at The P&J’s Peterhead office, Andrew was in the opposite corner of the room on the Evening Express desk.
“Back then I was a timid young reporter, and I don’t think we exchanged two words for the first couple of days.
“But Bonehead leaving Oasis on August 10, 1999, proved to be the perfect ice-breaker.
“We became good friends and ended up seeing a lot of bands together.”
‘I still think about his advice every day’
More than that, Andrew became Jamie’s “journalism mentor” and they worked together until 2007, when Andrew moved to Aberdeen.
Jamie adds: “It’s no exaggeration to say I still think about his advice, guidance and stories every day.
“It was an absolute privilege to have worked alongside him. ”
In the following years, Andrew would steadily rise through the ranks at the Journals.
He eventually became news editor – which meant juggling countless stories as he oversaw several editions of the paper, and always directing his reporters on how to get the best lines.
‘I was quite intimidated by him at first…’
Cheryl Livingstone, who is now head of content development, got her start as a trainee reporter in the Inverness office in 2010.
By then, Andrew was already a respected newsroom elder – and could seem daunting…
“I was quite intimidated by him when I first started working at The P&J,” Cheryl admits.
“He seemed very serious and strict. Then one evening, a few months into my career, I was on the phone to him, and he was winding me up.
“I got annoyed and said something cheeky back to him. There was silence. And then he laughed. It was from then I started to get to know him properly.”
She adds: “He was my first mentor, and he helped me a lot over the past 14 years – whether it was about a story, or just TV and film recommendations.
“He even helped me when I wanted advice on buying a new car. He always had time for people.
“He was funny and incredibly passionate about our local area and our newspaper.
“He had high standards, and he expected you to match them. I really believe that anyone who was lucky enough to work with him is a better journalist for it.”
Rapid rise for ‘king of the front pages’
In 2017, Andrew left Aberdeen to become deputy editor of the Evening Telegraph in Dundee.
A short time later he became the title’s editor, after winning over a whole new workplace.
He returned to the north-east after being offered the role of deputy editor of The P&J, welcomed back with open arms and in a cheerful mood.
He helmed the newspaper for a spell between late 2019 and May 2020 – meaning it was his leadership that saw The P&J through the rocky first months of the Covid pandemic.
‘He often did a punch in the air’
Victoria Wallace, now deputy group head of production, worked closely with Andrew as chief sub during his time steering the P&J.
She said: “He always had an answer. And he was always right… He WAS the reader, even when he was the editor.
“He was king of the front pages, particularly excited when he got to use an animal picture behind the masthead (‘move it just a tochty to the right’) and he often did a punch in the air to celebrate a heading fitting on to the page on first attempt.”
She adds: “Once you got past the newsman, he was a great friend. He was fiercely loyal, incredibly supportive and had a strong sense of justice.
“He made me laugh a hundred times in a shift with his blacker than black sense of humour and his various catchphrases.”
How did Andrew Kellock approach the end?
Andrew was diagnosed with cancer in 2021, while serving as head of print.
He worked a reduced schedule until his final shifts in 2024.
His family say that, despite the terminal diagnosis, he “didn’t act like he was preparing for not being here”.
Andrew packed in quality time with his loved ones, with dream trips to Bergen and Paris.
And his siblings say he was “still doing things in the house”, like putting up pictures from a recent trip to Rattray Head.
Siobhan adds: “He was always carrying on as normal.
“He was just keeping going… And he lived longer than they thought he would.”
And what was his final request?
With his trademark gallows humour, he asked that attendees at his funeral “be as miserable as possible”.
What were Andrew’s main passions?
Apart from his skill, he will be remembered by many of his colleagues for a few trademark traits: His Oasis fandom (and corresponding dislike of Blur), his support for Manchester United and his love of fast cars.
And his tendency, usually while standing behind the sub-editors’ desk and conjuring up a dynamite front page, to shadow box as he pieced it together.
But outside of the workplace, his family describe Andrew as a “devoted granddad” who continued going to Fraserburgh FC matches with grandson Liam for as long as he could.
Colleagues remember titan of the newsroom
When daughter Phoebe posted the tragic news on Facebook, it prompted an outpouring from former colleagues.
He was described as “a great character and an outstanding journalist”, someone who “always made us smile”, the “kindest soul”, the “best mentor” and a “total inspiration”.
And of course, many mentioned that “dry sense of humour”.
‘He tried not to show his heart of gold’
P&J editor Craig Walker said: “Andrew was a towering figure in the newsroom, a huge newspaper man and a massive advocate for traditional, local journalism created through a bulging contacts book and a lot of hard work.
“For decades he was at the heart of The Press and Journal and Evening Express.
“He could spot a top reporter a mile off and always wanted every reporter he worked with to improve and better themselves.”
Craig added: “Despite at times desperately trying not to show it, he had a heart of gold.”
One of those who can attest to that softer side is the deputy leader of the P&J’s live news team, Ashleigh Barbour.
Ashleigh described how Andrew would always remember her son Ruaridh’s birthday – sending a present every year.
It’s an assessment his family agree with as they look back on his life – even including the occasions where he “got away with murder”.
Sara smiles: “He was actually very gentle.”
‘Andrew’s love of fast cars was infectious…’
Some will remember Andrew most for his high-octane passion for cars.
Neil Mackland, the P&J’s head of newspaper sales and marketing, recalled how a coffee with him a few years ago ended up costing him a fortune – as Neil was persuaded to join Andrew as a Porsche owner.
But the purchase proved priceless as it brought them together, and resulted in a memorable day this June as the pair toured the north-east for one last time.
Even during those final months, Andrew was still pondering another purchase – contemplating trading in his Boxster “for something a little bit better”.
While in Roxburghe House, he would pass the time by browsing flash motors, once looking up from the Auto Trader website to tell his loved ones: “I can’t believe how long I can spend on here…”
Andrew’s prized possessions will be on show at his funeral.
His wife Jennifer will drive his Porsche to the ceremony, while daughter Yvonne takes his Subaru and her partner Ryan drives his Audi.
Andrew died on Friday, August 30.
He is survived by Jennifer, children Yvonne, Phoebe and Drew, and grandchildren Liam, Chloe and Rhea.
His funeral took place on Monday, September 9, in the Our lady Star of the Sea church where he was married.
Andrew was laid to rest at Lonmay Cemetery.
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