One of Andrew Finlayson’s earliest memories was being on the boat from Malawi to Scotland, going to the ship’s kitchen to get his baby sister’s milk warmed up.
The former Cove community councillor and Aberdeen City council member – who dedicated himself to the people of Aberdeen – had been in Nyasaland – now Malawi.
His father worked for Crown Agents and the trip no doubt birthed a lifelong love of travel. However, the seven-year-old’s job to support his mother on the vast sea journey home was perhaps where his incredible commitment to the needs of others was formed.
We look back on the life of the Independent councillor who has died, aged 81. A man known for his warmth, dedication, and wholeheartedly serving his community.
Capital start
Andrew Finlayson was born on May 8, 1941 in Edinburgh.
A traditional, hard-working family, his father – John – was an engineer and his mother, Helen, cared for her three children.
Andrew was the eldest child, with two younger sisters, Rosemary and Aileen.
Around five years of age, his dad took a job with the Crown Agents, a government body involved with African water conservation. It meant a move to Nyasaland but in 1949, Andrew returned to the UK with his mother and baby sister, Rosemary.
The long journey home, as well as providing plenty of fodder to tease his sister with over the years, also sparked a passion in Andrew for travel, cinema and theatre.
For if he wasn’t helping his mother and sister, he was usually to be found watching movies in the ship’s cinema.
New life in Forres
On landing in Scotland, the family settled in Forres where Aileen was born. They were close to their grandparents while Andrew’s father remained in Africa.
Andrew attended Forres Primary and then Forres Academy where he was known as an able student and enthusiastic sportsman. A fan of football, he supported Forres Mechanics and later in life, Aberdeen.
During his school years, he worked as a bakery delivery boy, using the tips he made on his delivery round, to buy his first set of golf clubs and the beginnings of a record collection. His first music purchase was Perry Como’s Catch a Falling Star, with Magic Moments on the B side. Both were played at Andrew’s funeral.
Becoming an engineer
In 1960, Andrew started at the Robert Gordon Institute of Technology to study engineering. His parents and siblings, by then all together again in Scotland, moved to Thurso to be near Dounreay where his father had a job.
Andrew loved being a student, adding much to his mother’s worry that her only son was being led astray. Nevertheless, he enjoyed student life, visits to pubs but also coming home for visits where he’d shower the family with gifts.
Eventually, Andrew had the luxury of a car, but with it came the realisation that he would likely never be a good timekeeper.
In 1965, he qualified as an engineer and over the next years, worked for multiple UK local authorities.
A new home in Aberdeen
Andrew loved to travel, and by the time 1975 rolled around and with it a new job in Aberdeen, he had seen the world including a stint in the Seychelles as a water engineer.
Working for the city’s water department Andrew was also a ski instructor in his spare time.
He was passionate about his job, applying his characteristic fairness and integrity wherever he was. However, as a man of principles, he was also known for his love of a good argument. He was never shy in airing the strong views and convictions that he lived by.
Love on the slopes
In 1981 during a skiing trip, Andrew met his lifelong partner Maureen Stroud.
They moved to Cove, or Cove Bay as Andrew always called it – where they built a happy life together, travelling as often as they could.
Theatre also played a big part in the lives of the couple. They went to almost every show at His Majesty’s Theatre and loved ‘pie and a pint’ nights at the Lemon Tree.
Cove life
Andrew became heavily involved in local life, subsequently becoming chairman of the Cove and Altens community council.
A tribute was placed in the Cove Chronicle, which Andrew was involved in the distribution of. It read: “We remember the years that Andrew served on the community council as chairman and all the support he gave to the community.”
The tributes noted his work supporting the yearly gala, the saving of Doonie’s farm when threatened with closure, and the integral part he played in getting funding for the start of the NLGA allotments and organising the landscaping of the community garden at the Earn’s Heugh Road/Cove Road junction.
“He worked diligently behind the scenes, never looking for a piece of the spotlight. He will be sorely missed but remembered with fondness and huge amounts of respect.”
Aberdeen City Council
In 2012, Andrew resigned from his community council roles when he was elected as an Independent member for Cove within Aberdeen City Council.
He served in this capacity until 2017. Throughout that time he demonstrated his commitment to making Cove the best possible place for Cove’s people.
Described as someone who never put politics before the issues facing the people, he also served on the Community Forum and as part of the Heritage Trust.
Andrew very much took Aberdeen to heart, believing the history of the Granite City should be preserved. New developments or projects destroying the Aberdeen that he knew and loved became the subject of his activism.
However, despite his love of the job – it wasn’t enough to bring his poor timekeeping into order. Nicknamed ‘last minute dot com’ by friends and colleagues – his gregarious attitude helped overshadow his inability to be on time.
Living with loss
Life changed for Andrew when Maureen died in 2014.
However, he continued to enjoy the theatre, meeting up with friends and supporting Aberdeen Football Club.
His sisters and their families became even more important to Andrew after Maureen passed away.
He was a proud uncle to Linsey, Gillian, Rachel and Jenna and great uncle to Lucy, Ella and Ally. Always interested in what they were up to amid his kaleidoscope of other interests and hobbies.
His funeral was led by celebrant Jan Hughes. She said: “You know, some men go through life never seen, never heard and never laying a brick. But Andrew has been seen. He has been heard. And he has laid the lifelong foundations for many lives in his significant contribution to friends, family and the community.”
Conversation