Irene Cumming who has died aged 82 was an unsurpassed champion of Newburgh and promoted it and defended it at every opportunity.
On hearing anyone refer to Newburgh as a “nice wee village” she would rebuke them with a sharp retort: “It’s a town. It’s a town.”
She was born and educated in the town and on leaving school, she worked in the linoleum factory which was then the major employer in the area.
Agriculture
When it closed, she worked on various farms picking potatoes and strawberries before working at the papermill in Falkland.
Irene married local boy, Melville Cumming and their marriage produced four sons, Sandy, now living in London, Melville, who died in 2010, John who is based in Denmark and Campbell living in Glasgow.
During their long marriage, Melville and Irene travelled widely including a three-month visit to New Zealand. They were also keen on cruise ships particularly in the Mediterranean.
Community stalwart
As the family grew up and moved out of the family home, Irene became more involved in the community.
She chaired the community council and helped steer the town forward with projects such as supporting the conversion of the moribund town hall into an arts and crafts centre.
She was an enthusiastic supporter and treasurer of Newburgh Community Trust; an organisation that helped local residents purchase parts of their heritage, including the waterfront and the former reservoir.
Linoleum factory
Another community purchase saw the creation of a riverside park on the site where the former linoleum factory in which she had once worked had stood.
She volunteered in the local charity shop and every Saturday she was one of the team selling raffle tickets for whichever organisation was holding a coffee morning.
On Sundays, Irene was a regular attender at the United Reformed church where she supported their charity work by organising shoe box collections.