John MacGillivray was credited with building half of Dundee and then teaching the other half to drive.
The first part of his career was as a plasterer working on the building of the city’s expanding estates.
He then took the bold step of setting up his own firm, ABC School of Motoring. He launched it with a Mini Clubman in 1972 and lessons cost £1, the current equivalent is £15 today, and his car was a familiar sight waiting in Barrack Street, the start and end point for his lessons.
John, who has died aged 83, was inspired to form the driving school after helping his wife, Joyce, who had failed her driving test six times. After patient coaching from John, she passed at the seventh attempt.
Outside his business life, John was a man of strong Christian faith, a eucharist minister at Saints Leonard and Fergus Church, who was active in both raising funds for and assisting on the annual Lourdes Pilgrimage with the Diocese of Dunkeld.
His family described him as a man of principle who during his years in the building trade was never afraid to leave a job if he saw unfairness or if he wasn’t happy and always spoke out about injustice.
John was the son of John Edwin MacGillivray and his wife Bridget Cleary. He was born in Marryat Terrace, but grew up in Mid Craigie with siblings Jane and Colin when the family moved there. His father was an iron driller in the Caledon shipyard and his mother was a jute spinner.
In 1940, the family moved to Mid Craigie and in the same year, John had his right eye removed to save the sight in his left eye .
School years
The corporation wanted to send him to Fairmuir special school but his parents resisted and secured him a place at The Huttie in Pitairlie Road before he moved on to St Michael’s and then St John’s High School.
After a spell pushing a milk barrow after school and working in a bakery, John trained as a plasterer and went into the building trade working on many developments including the Trottick multis and the Skarne blocks in Whitfield.
In 1958, John met his future wife Joyce Campbell through mutual friends and married at St Vincent’s Church in Pitkerro Road. Soon the MacGillivray and Campbell clans became entwined as one.
Their first home in Victoria Street had the luxury of an inside toilet. They then moved to Westcroft Place where they struck up a lifelong friendship with Mary and Wullie Kidd who became like a brother and sister to the couple.
They did consider emigrating to New Zealand but instead opted on a move in Glenrothes in 1968. Joyce became homesick so the couple returned to Dundee, and after a spell in Lochee, settled in Mid Craigie to be closer to family.
It was around this time that John, encouraged by the success of teaching Joyce to drive, embarked on his business venture.
He gave up plastering, trained as an instructor and launched ABC School of Motoring with his familiar Mini.
Son John William, arrived in 1973 and daughter, Clare, a year later.
John taught with his Mini well into the 1980s before switching to a Nissan Micra, which eventually had the registration number H18 ABC.
In the late 1970s he founded the association of driving instructors in the city in which he played a leading role until his retiral after Joyce’s death in 1997.
His son, John, said: “A couple of months ago I found the letter he sent to other driving instructors.
“In it he compared cost of lessons in Dundee with other cities and how the undercutting of lessons was damaging trade. He advocated having everyone charge the same price, similar to how taxis work.
“I asked him about it after finding the letter and he explained his plan was actually to form a union but the most everyone would agree on was the association.”
After Joyce died following the return of a previous illness, John filled his days with swimming, going to Mass daily and meeting friends.
John, said: “Dad had a very strong faith. In the 1980s he was a member of Dunkeld Serra Club, a lay organisation dedicated to fostering vocations to the priesthood and other religious orders, became a eucharistic minister and considered becoming a deacon.
“He was a staunch friend and advocate for those needing help. He’d often visit Strathmartine Hospital and take a couple of the men there to Sunday Mass at SS Leonard and Fergus Church.”
His daughter, Clare, said: “After mum died, Dad was lucky to strike up a close friendship with Joan Keirnan.
“They had lovely times together going to the Friary, the clubbies and on holiday. And, as is the pattern of Dad’s life, Joan’s family soon became ours too.
“We were thrilled when Dad fell in love again with Cathe Johnson. She danced into our lives and sprinkled fairy dust. And the few years they had together were full of love. Cathe brought a sparkle to Dad and to all of us.
“Again, we gained new family members when Scott, Chris and Sandra soon became a big part of our lives. We lost Cathe far too soon, but we were so thankful for the joy they had together.”
“His final act of generosity was to donate his body to medical science at Dundee University, so that others could benefit from medical advancements.
“He lived a great, full and vibrant life, giving generously of himself to all he met.
Family. Fun. Faith. My three words that sum up my dad.”
You can read the family’s announcement here.
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