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Ruby Turberville: Trailblazing journalist who became a household name in Aberdeen

Ruby and her famous postbag were known to thousands of readers across the north and north-east.

Mum-of-three Ruby Turberville was an early champion of women’s rights and became a household name in Aberdeen.

Ruby was something of a trail-blazer for women of her time – holding down her high-powered job while bringing up her three boys.

She became a well-known and much-admired writer during the 1960s and 1970s, specialising in women’s issues long before it was fashionable to do so.

Life and times

Ruby was born on Christmas Eve in 1922.

She grew up in a two-room tenement flat with her two brothers and sister in Torry where her father was a trawler cook.

She attended Skene Square School before going on to the old Central School in Aberdeen where she excelled in singing and dancing.

Children from Skene Street School decorate the Christmas tree at the Gaumont Gallery ready for the opening of the EE Toy Exhibition of all the entries for Ruby Turberville’s Toy-Making Contest in 1968. Image: DC Thomson.

She became a Wren in Aberdeen when war broke out before being based in Easthaven, where she met her husband Leslie who was a police officer.

The couple married in 1946.

They moved back to Aberdeen, having sons Eric, Philip and Michael.

Journey into journalism

After attending Skene Square School, Ruby moved with her two brothers and sister to Torry where her father was a trawler cook.

She went on to the old Central School and joined the WRNS soon after the outbreak of World War Two.

There she met Leslie, also in the Navy, marrying in 1946.

After Ruby left school, she became involved in community work and night classes.

She began her career as a part-time contributor to the weekly Bon Accord newspaper but had a burning ambition to become a journalist and eventually was hired by both the Press and Journal and Evening Express in a full-time position in the late-1950s.

Evening Express women’s editor Ruby Turberville in 1967.

Ruby thrived at the challenge in journalism and worked day and night, writing stories under the pseudonym June Day in the P&J and Erica Knight in the EE.

She found her niche with the EE during the 1960s where she appeared under her own name as the women’s editor of the newspaper.

Typhoid investigation in 1964

Ruby investigated when Aberdeen was brought to its knees by the largest typhoid outbreak in recent British history during the summer of 1964.

More than 500 people of all ages had to be quarantined in hospital.

The infection was eventually traced back to a single tin of Argentinean corned beef sold in a supermarket.

Chief sanitary inspector Herbert B. Parry was appointed to enforce the highest possible hygiene standards and started to publish tips in the Evening Express.

Police struggle to hold back the crowds outside the Town House as the Queen leaves for Aberdeen Joint Station after her dramatic visit in 1964 to declare the city typhoid free. Image: DC Thomson.

Ruby identified numerous city shops which didn’t reach the hygiene standards set by doctors.

She told readers she found “dirty overalls, food unprotected and sliced meat handled with anything but clean fingers”.

She also said she was shocked she couldn’t find a single grocery shop with a notice reminding the staff about hygiene.

Move into television

By this time Ruby was also in demand as a broadcaster with Radio Scotland and Northsound and then became popular on Grampian Television.

This is what Ruby Turberville’s Postbag looked like in 1967! Image: DC Thomson.

Ruby was widely acclaimed during this era not only as a journalist but as a local celebrity and was much in demand for personal appearances.

A talented public speaker, the mum-of-three was also a regular at women’s meetings and conferences throughout the north-east and beyond.

Her popular weekly EE postbag attracted hundreds of letters on a huge range of subjects and was always fun and sometimes controversial.

Her talent for identifying the issues and interests of women was immediately obvious and soon she had an army of fans all over the circulation area.

Ruby Turberville in 1968. Image: DC Thomson.

One feature involved getting a group of slimmers together and following their progress as they battled the bulge.

She had tremendous rapport with her readers which extended way beyond the columns of the Evening Express.

Wherever she went, she took on the role of ambassador for the newspaper she loved.

She did not just look at her work as a job but got involved and liked to meet her readers.

She continued to work after retiring

But she always put her husband and family first.

Journalism and the church were the second loves of her life.

Ruby Turberville always came up smelling of roses. Image: DC Thomson.

She also taught singing, dancing and movement to youth and community groups, and Scottish country dancing to girls in a deprived neighbourhood.

After retiring from the EE, Ruby carried on as a freelance writer and broadcaster before she and Leslie moved to Cheshire.

She died peacefully on February 16 2003 following a battle with ill-health.

Ruby is still fondly remembered to this day for her incredible career.

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