A treasured painting has been returned to an Angus primary, fulfilling the wishes of a teacher who dedicated her life to the school.
Edith Garrow taught infant classes at Arbroath’s Carmyllie Primary School for her entire 39-year career in education.
When she retired in 1989 she was presented with a framed watercolour of Carmyllie – and it had pride of place above the mantelpiece in her home in the town until her death earlier this year.
But in her will, the 94-year-old specified the painting should be gifted to the school.
School legacy
And on Tuesday, her nephew John Forsyth presented it to headteacher Kerry Walker, her teaching staff and current pupils, many of whose parents and grandparents had been taught by Edith.
The schoolkids discussed what had changed about the school since it was captured on canvas more than three decades ago.
One said: “It isn’t always sunny like the painting!”
Edith – a devoted reader of The Courier who contributed to the Craigie column – died on February 25.
‘Children delighted’
Headteacher Ms Walker told us: “It (the painting) takes pride of place in the school.
“The children were delighted. They began identifying where they could display it straight away.”
The work, by Ray Will, depicts the original Carmyllie school from 1876.
It can now be found at the school’s entrance, a constant reminder of Edith’s legacy.
Ms Walker added: “It’s lovely to get an original of what the school used to look like.
“It’s going to be at the front of the building so it’s visible for all our visitors. The children have decided.”
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