Dugal Beedie, a chartered accountant who gave tirelessly of his time to voluntary organisations in Montrose and around Angus, has died aged 82.
He headed the development of Montrose’s Sea Oil Base in the 1970s then later became managing partner of accountants Ernst and Young in Dundee.
Dugal chaired the Prince’s Trust in Angus for a period, captained Royal Montrose Golf Club, helped establish the Wildlife Trust visitor centre at Montrose Basin and led Hillside Scout Troop.
Leadership
He served as president of Dundee and Tayside Chamber of Commerce, was a past president of Montrose Rotary, and had been deputy chairman of Montrose Harbour Board.
Born in Dundee in 1939, Dugal Hepburn Beedie was the son of woodturning business owner and councillor Dugal and his wife Ina.
School days
In 1945 he began his education in the primary department of Morgan Academy, Dundee, before progressing to the senior department aged 11.
When Dugal was 15, his father secured him a seaman’s scholarship at Gordonstoun where he excelled at hockey, and competed in the British Boys’ Golf Championship at Carnoustie.
Merchant navy
On leaving school he joined the Blue Funnel company as a midshipman and during his four years in the merchant navy, rose to become second mate.
Throughout his time at sea he corresponded with his future wife, Aileen Watson, who had been in his class at primary school, and who was studying dentistry at Dundee.
Dugal switched careers and began training as an accountant, married Aileen, now a practising dentist, and featured in the Morgan FP hockey side that won the Scottish cup in 1969.
Move south
After qualifying as a chartered accountant, Dugal and Aileen moved to Chelmsford, Essex, where Dugal began work as assistant to to chief executive of P&O.
It was in this period that the couple’s children Calum and Gregor were born, and Aileen became a full-time mother.
Dugal’s background in the merchant navy and career as an accountant were factors in the family’s return to Angus in 1973. Daughter Katrina was born after the family moved north and Aileen returned to dentistry part time.
P&O appointed him to head up the development of the Sea Oil Base they had built on the south side of Montrose Harbour.
Expansion
It was here that Dugal began a fruitful working relationship with Neil McNab, who became one of his closest friends, and together they built up the customer base among oil companies developing the North Sea fields.
Their efforts helped to make the base one of the area’s biggest employers.
Dugal later joined accountants Arthur Young in Dundee, which merged to become Ernst and Young.
He joined as manager and rose to become managing partner with a staff of 67.
Retirement
Dugal retired after the firm closed its Dundee operation and as well as having the time to enjoy a holiday home in Spain, he gave generously of his time to a great number of organisations including Citizens Advice, Hillside Church where he was an elder, the RNLI and Montrose Burns Club.
Tribute
His friend, former Montrose Academy rector Harry Faulkner, said: “Dugal’s was a life well lived, from his devotion to Aileen and family to his lifetime of employment characterised by the highest standards of honesty and ethical behaviour.
“His was a busy life yet one in which time was found to give service to many organisations and bring great benefit to our community: a life enriched though many long lasting and deep friendships.”
You can read the family’s announcement here.
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