Tribute has been paid to prominent local historian, former Benholm and Johnshaven Community Council secretary and “genuinely remarkable woman” Joann Beattie.
The 79-year-old, who lived most of her life in Johnshaven, the village she loved, is being remembered as a “brave, strong, wickedly clever, formidable and generous” woman who was loved as a daughter, sister, wife, mum, granny and a friend.
Born in Johnshaven on 18 February 1946, Joann Philadelphia Myles was the second child of James William Myles, a gamekeeper, and Jane Christie Dickson, a fish merchant.
She was a determined person, who knew her own mind from a very young age.
At the age of five she insisted that she wanted to be a vegetarian and that her mind could not be changed, going on to become a member of the Vegetarian Society for the majority of her life.
She was also a person of faith from a very young age.
Lifelong animal lover who saw the Beatles in the ‘swinging sixties’
An animal lover, Joann loved dogs and was never without one.
She spoke of her West Highland Terrier, Skipper, from when she was a young child.
Dicksey a Yorkshire Terrier was her sons’ childhood dog who lived to be 16. A cocker spaniel, Lucy, followed, then later Bella.
Joann spoke fondly of being a teenager in the ‘swingin sixties’. She spoke of the music and the clothes, and wearing high heels, so high that she didn’t think she could walk in them.
She would go to London to see shows and spoke of seeing ‘Cats’ and ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’.
Joann also loved music, and went to see the Beatles at the Caird Hall in Dundee in 1963.
Son Robin said: “Mum told us that she couldn’t hear a word that they were singing due to hundreds of screaming females in the crowd.
“I took mum back to the same Caird Hall in 2012 to see the Dalai Lama.
“He did however speak so quietly that neither of us could understand him. Two events, 50 years apart, and both utterly inaudible!”
Joann married a Johnshaven lad
Joann worked in a number of jobs, latterly with the civil service and mainly in the benefits office.
Her family moved to the village of Leslie in Fife for a number of years but moved back to Johnshaven in the early 1980s following the death of her mum.
Whilst in Fife, Joann had stayed in touch with ‘Johnner lad’ Douglas Beattie, the man who would quite quickly become her husband after her return to Johnshaven.
Married in 1983, son Myles arrived in 1985 and Robin in 1986.
They built a house at Waughton Place, Johnshaven in the early 1990s and they both spent the rest of their lives there.
They were married for 38 years before Douglas passed in 2021.
Son Robin said it takes an “extremely brave person” to start their life over again from scratch.
“However, that’s exactly what our mum did,” he added. “The easiest thing for mum to do then would have been to give up.
“But we all watched on as she proved all of us wrong.
“Mum felt that she needed to rebuild a life that our dad would have been proud of, and she was so certain that he was watching her doing it.”
Reflecting on family life and getting involved in her community
Joann was extremely passionate about genealogy and the history of Johnshaven village and its residents.
She quickly became an active member of Benholm and Johnshaven’s Community Council where, as the secretary, she spearheaded initiatives to improve the quality of life in the village.
She also became a core member of the heritage society, volunteering at the museum and participating with the community café there.
Myles added: “She was a keen genealogist and had traced her family tree back for many generations. She would frequently bemoan that she was not related to anyone famous, whereas she had traced our dad’s family back to Robert Burns and Robert the Bruce.
“She had constructed family trees for many of her friends and distant relatives and was the go-to source for information about family history.”
Myles added that their mum was a devout Christian who drew much comfort from her faith, especially after the passing of her husband, who she was certain she would meet again in the next life.
“She would attend the local church in St Cyrus whenever she could and enjoyed discussing points of scripture with the minister Rev Norman Trewren,” said Myles.
Remembered as ‘brave clever and jovial’ by friend
Joann’s friend Karen said: “She was brave, clever, stalwart, jovial and it was obvious that she loved her village.
“Joann worked so hard for the community council doing so much behind the scenes. The heritage society too, I am certain, with her contribution to the archives and duties in the museum.
“She shared so much information about the village and the past residents living in Johnshaven.
“Her contributions were special and importantly first hand – giving facts to current relatives who visit the museum; many snippets that they would treasure.”
Tribute from broadcaster Ben Robinson
Joann also wrote and published a book about the village to raise funds for the museum shortly before being invited to be interviewed on the BBC Two show, Villages by the Sea.
She made such an impression that Dr Ben Robinson, who interviewed her, paid tribute when he heard of her death.
He said: “I have been fortunate to travel around the country to see many villages and chat with a lot of people.
“Even during a brief stay it is possible to get some sense of the people who really work for and champion their communities, and know their heritage, and are loved for that. Joann Beattie was obviously one of those special people. I am very sorry for Johnshaven’s loss.”
Joann became a granny to Lily in 2020, and to Cameron in 2022. She adored her grandchildren.
She is survived by sons Myles and Robin, and by her grandchildren.
Conversation