Nobody could ever accuse Peter Tong of being the stay-at-home type.
On the contrary, the far-travelled Spanish-born businessman, former Grampian councillor and Rotary Club stalwart was always ready to go the extra mile, whenever it meant helping his employers, friends and beloved family.
He was dedicated to work and family
While working at Ford as part of their senior sales staff in the tractor division, representing the north of Scotland – an area which stretched from Lanark all the way to Shetland – he spent so much time in his company car that it became like a second home.
On one occasion during his peripatetic career, Mr Tong, who has died at the age of 91, was told off by the company’s finance office for flying, instead of driving, from Wick to Kirkwall and had to gently explain to them that his car did not float.
Yet it was a minor discomfort for this redoubtable character whose cv reads like a map of the world. After spending his early years in Huelva in southern Spain, the son of Walter and Katherine from Bolton, he went to boarding school in Shropshire.
A bright lad, interested in many different subjects, his studies at Wrekin College from 1945 to 1950 were interspersed with trips back to Europe to see his parents.
From the plough to the forecourt
Mr Tong undertook a year of work experience on a farm before being accepted at Wye College in Kent, where he gained an agricultural degree as the prelude to doing his National Service with the Royal Artillery in Cyprus, Jordan and Germany.
After being demobbed, his first job was as assistant sales manager with a small company called Bomford and Evershed, but soon enough, Ford came calling.
His daughter, Fiona, recalled how her dad met his future wife in unusual circumstances.
She said: “He had chosen Aberdeen as his base and so began the very long association with the city that continued throughout the rest of his life.
He was on hand to help
“One of the benefits of being resident in the north east of Scotland was the opportunity that arose to learn to ski. Dad purchased all the gear and set off to find out how to do it!
“It was while skiing at Abergeldie he met my mother, Robertina Ritchie, known to all as Ina. The first time he touched mum was to lift her up after she had a fall on the slopes.
“Later, they went for a drink at the Dinnet Hotel – and the rest, as they say, is history.”
The couple were married in Aberdeen in 1963 and, although Mr Tong was posted around Britain for a number of years and Fiona and her brothers, Alistair and Andrew, were all born in different parts of England, they returned to Scotland in 1970.
By this stage, he was a well-known figure in the industry and Ford suggested that he launch his own dealership. He did so with such trademark tenacity, commitment and detailed organisation that, before long, he had a staff of around 120 people.
His influence grew in the region
As Fiona said: “Having shown how effective he was in becoming involved in objections to some developments locally, dad was scouted by the Liberal SDP Alliance Party and, in 1982, was elected to Grampian Regional Council.
“In 1984, he was approached about becoming a founder member of the Westhill and District Rotary Club and there began an association which he found to be time-consuming, but also involving, enjoyable and satisfying.”
At the age of 56, he became a financial adviser for Hill Samuel, which led to him helping many clients, but also enjoying myriad adventures abroad with Ina. And they welcomed five grandchildren into the family: Brendan, Cameron, Martha, Freya and Matthew.
But sadly, in 2007, following a few months of declining health, his wife died of heart failure: an abrupt end to 44 happy years of marriage.
A new companion in later life
Fiona recalled: “Of course, dad was devastated, but he took the opportunity to travel even more and, during these adventures, he made many new acquaintances.
“The most important of these was dearest Ann Harper. They met in 2009 when she was working as a tour guide for Swan Hellenic Cruises, shepherding the 100 or so passengers on the flights from London to Buenos Aires and Sao Paolo.
“Dad and Ann’s first social interaction was when they walked along the sea front in Stanley [which was Mr Tong’s middle name] in the Falkland Islands.
“They gradually got to know each other, taking great interest in each other’s life stories, and among many other mutual interests, they discovered a shared love of penguins.
They spent 15 happy years together
“Ann coming into Dad’s life really was a blessing. Of course, my mother has always been missed and always will be, but nothing could bring her back – and it was just wonderful that Dad met Ann and that they were able to spend so many happy years together.”
Ultimately, she and her brothers remember their father as a hard-working, honest, generous, caring individual who lived life to the full; somebody who would drop everything at a moment’s notice to help a loved one or friend.
And someone who gave much of his time and money to charity.
An event is planned this week
Mr Tong’s family have arranged a commemoration of him at Westhill Golf Club on Wednesday, November 20 at 5.30pm.
As Andrew said: “This was his ‘local’, so if anyone would like to say a few words about him, a memory or brief anecdote perhaps, they are invited to do so in an informal way.”
There will be refreshments afterwards. Which offers the opportunity to raise a toast to a much-loved figure wherever he went.
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