By Mark Mackay

THE CLOSE-KNIT Perthshire village of Methven was in mourning yesterday as a horrific road accident struck at the heart of the community.

Allison Melville, who was awarded the MBE in 2002, died along with husband William and son William junior on Saturday evening.

In a night of carnage on Scotland’s roads in which 14 lost their lives, the Melvilles were among five people who died in the accident, which took place on the A85 road between Methven and Crieff.

The family were just minutes away from arriving at their home in Sauchob Place when tragedy struck.

They were returning from the second day of martial arts winter camp being held in Crieff.

Both Mrs Melville and her son were tutors with Kyokushin Karate Scotland.

A second community is yet to have its worst fears confirmed, with the identity of two further victims still to be revealed.

The names of the deceased will not be released until formal identification has taken place.

However, it is understood they are a 19-year-old woman and 20-year-old woman, and that both are from Crieff.

A sixth victim, a 20-year-old man from Auchterarder, is seriously ill in Ninewells Hospital, Dundee, though his injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.

He was pulled from his burning car by a police officer and members of public.

Yesterday Methven residents were struggling to comprehend the severity of the accident.

The Melville family had been fixtures of local life for many years and often featured in the pages of The Courier.

Mrs Melville represented many things to many people.

As a lollipop lady at Methven Primary she ensured the safety of youngsters for 27 years.

And as troop leader and district commissioner with Methven Guides she also played a large part in their development.

The role helped her support a number of good causes and she once abseiled down the Tower Building at Dundee University —with fellow Methven Guide leaders and parents—in aid of Capability Scotland.

She was awarded the MBE at Buckingham Palace for her services to Guiding and local life, joined by her husband and son and daughter Sally.

Others knew her as “Sempai” of the Methven Kyokushin Karate Club, where she took classes and where son William was also known as an expert in the discipline.

Beginning training at the age of 41 to get fit, she went on to become a black belt (2nd dan) and became an instructor at the Methven dojo.

Mother and son were members of the Scottish W.U.K.O team, while William junior was also a member of the Scottish knockdown team and an instructor at the Crieff and Methven dojos.

In a cruel twist of fate, Mrs Melville had also long been a campaigner for road safety on the A85.

Her husband Bill was a long-distance lorry driver and had only recently retired.

News of their deaths was announced to the Sunday congregation at Methven and Logiealmond Parish Church, though most had long since heard of the tragedy.

Yesterday the Rev Brian Bain paid tribute to the family and in particular “a wonderful person and a close family friend”.

“Allison, Bill and William will always have a place in our hearts,” he said. “We’re all devastated, but they left an indelible mark on the community and thanks in our hearts.

“Allison was a local lollipop lady and a Guider and also helped take local youngsters through their cycling proficiency to ensure they knew the Highway Code.

“I remember many a Guide summer camp at Gask when we sang songs to keep the midgies away and ate supper either half cooked or burnt, with Bill always there to lend hand.

“We were in the middle of planning a Guide ‘Thinking Day’ service in the church at Methven and Logiealmond and another summer camp at Gask.

“She was always on the go and helped generations of youngsters.”

Mr Bain added, “All the worshippers at Methven and Logiealmond at Gask are devastated and our thoughts go out to Sally, who is a topper and always helped her mother with the Guides.

“We loved Allison. She was the heart of the community and part and parcel of everyone.

“Allison and Bill were real Guiders as husband and wife and a real guide to many who will never forget them.”

One neighbour, who did not wish to be named, said yesterday, “Allison and her family will be very sadly missed.

“There can’t have been a single person in the community who did not know who she was or what she did locally.

“She’s been a good neighbour for more than 20 years and active in the local area in so many ways.”

Martin Marlborough had been a family friend of the Melvilles for many years.

As master of Perth Karate Club, he welcomed both Allison and her son to the Methven group and saw both go on to join him as tutors.

Yesterday he said, “The amount of work that family got through in the community was just incredible.

“Allison was known all over, for her work with the Guides, karate and as a lollipop lady, not just in Methven.

“And when you needed someone to help Bill was always there. He was a brilliant man.

“I remember in particular one time at a karate camp when he rescued the situation after our tents blew away.”

He said of the couple’s son William, “He was an inspiration to a lot of people and was dedicated to karate and the group. He joined the Methven karate group at age seven and ended up fighting for Scotland.”

Methven resident John Rodrigues said, “Children at the school will very much miss her.

“She and her family were very well known in the village and extremely well thought of.”

The five lives were lost in a horrific collision between Mr Melville senior’s green Honda Civic, in which his wife and son were passengers, and a silver Vauxhall Corsa driven by the 20-year-old man, whose passengers were the young women.

The smash occurred on the Burn Brae Straight, known as an accident black-spot, roughly half-way between Perth and Crieff. It propelled the Corsa off the road and into an adjacent field, where it rolled onto its roof and caught fire.

Police and Tayside Fire and Rescue rushed to the scene at around 11.15pm to discover what they later described as “a major incident with multiple casualties”.

Initially there were reports two people had died, but the figure rose as the magnitude of the accident became clear.

Panicked motorists rushed to offer assistance, among them a bus-load of revellers heading for a night out in Perth.

Householders were also roused in a desperate search for aid, among them Colin Robertson of the nearby Burn Brae Garage.

He joined others and the first police officer on the scene in an attempt to save the occupants of the burning Corsa and stricken Civic.

They successfully righted the Vauxhall car and managed to rescue the young male driver.

However the flames engulfed the car very quickly and rescuers were unable to save the female passengers.

Mr Robertson said he had been alerted to the accident by a frantic passer-by.

“We grabbed fire extinguishers and they gave us a lift up to the accident,” he said.

“There were a number of people present offering whatever assistance they could.

“It looked extremely serious and there were a number of casualties. One car had left the road and was on fire.

“We were able to right it and tried to dampen down the flames.

“It was extremely difficult for all involved,” he added.

Tayside Fire and Rescue appliances from Perth and Crieff attended, including a heavy rescue unit, and were joined by a fleet of ambulances and a trauma team.

The A85 was closed towards Crieff and at Inveralmond as police threw up a wide cordon around the site to enable a major emergency operation and then investigation to take place.

Mr Melville senior was rushed by ambulance to Perth Royal Infirmary where he died a short time later.

His wife and son were pronounced dead at the scene.

The male driver of the Vauxhall Corsa was taken by ambulance to Ninewells suffering from “serious” injuries. He underwent emergency surgery to serious burns on both legs and was also treated for a fractured left arm and a facial injury.

His injuries are not believed to be life threatening.

The young passengers in the Corsa were pronounced dead at the scene.

Strathtay and Dunkeld councillor Alistair Barr, who chairs Perth and Kinross Council’s road safety forum and community safety partnership, said he had been stunned by the severity of the accident.

“This is a complete and absolute tragedy. I can’t quite comprehend the enormity of what has happened.

“My thoughts and sympathy go out to all of the families of the victims.

“Our gratitude must go to all of the emergency services who dealt with this horrific and traumatic accident and the members of the public who stopped to assist.

“It will be extremely difficult, as Methven is an extremely tight-knit community.”

Methven residents said safety on the A85 had long been a cause for concern.

“There are dips in the road that ensure you can’t even see the headlights of cars coming towards you,” said George Murray, who lives in Main Street.

“It’s always been known as a black spot.

“When I saw the fire engines and ambulances zooming past my house I knew something bad had had happened, but I never imagined it would be quite so serious.”

The A85 was closed for many hours to enable investigators to work at the scene, before re-opening shortly after 1pm yesterday.

Police are appealing for anyone who witnessed the accident to come forward by calling 01738 621141. Officers are also keen to hear from anyone who may have seen either car travelling on the road beforehand.