Michael Alexander asked four prominent Dundonians to reminisce about the holidays they enjoyed as youngsters.
Rock promoter Davie McLean:
Reminiscences took Dundee born and bred international music guru Davie McLean to the big screen in 2020 when his film Schemers relived his experiences of misspent youth, music and dreaming big.
The film, set around 1980, told the legendary true story of how he booked Iron Maiden to play the Caird Hall.
Other bands he booked to “impress the lassies” included Simple Minds, XTC, Ultravox and The Skids.
The ambitious boy from Whitfield went on to work with Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins, Pearl Jam, Green Day and The View.
Today he is a music promoter and manager of Placebo, who’s worked with Kyle Falconer on his record label Riverman Records.
But what are Davie’s holiday memories of growing up in Dundee?
‘Freezing pool and hot orange drink’
Speaking to The Courier from his home in Bangkok where he’s lived for 18 years with his wife Thian and his daughters Billie and Beaw, the 67-year-old former Clepington Primary and Linlathen Junior Secondary pupil reveals that his first holiday memories are going 50 miles up the road to Stonehaven in his dad’s black Zephyr Zodiac.
“We had a caravan there which was pitched up near to the swimming pool,” he said.
“I seem to remember the pool being outdoor and bloody freezing, the highlight being a hot orange drink at the end of the session.
“We always seemed to find lots to do like entering the ‘putting’ competition where there was intense rivalry to win a book token or some other delight.
“Then there was the ‘treasure hunt’ and ‘beans on toast‘ at the cafe on the seafront before heading off to ‘the pictures‘ to see El Cid starring Charlton Heston and Sophia Loren.
“In later years I returned with my mates and we pitched a tent and hung out during the day at a cafe that had a jukebox.
“I tried to look cool by putting on ‘Purple Haze‘ by Jimi Hendrix or ‘Whole Lotta Love‘ by Led Zeppelin on repeat, all in order to impress a girl who told me her name was Faye Dunaway.
“When I told my friends they all laughed – can’t think why!”
Winner of Butlins crisp eating contest!
Davie laughs that if they were not at Stonehaven, they would be at Butlins holiday camp at Ayr.
There, he won the crisp eating contest consuming 31 packets in 15 minutes.
He remembers an outdoor swimming pool, where the ‘beauty contest’ was held.
Both these holidays were supplemented by reading the bumper summer issues of ‘The Beano‘ and ‘The Dandy’.
“I suppose Butlins just shaded it for enjoyment factor as there was so much to do,” he said.
“There were umpteen contests from ‘knobbly knees‘ – which I could probably win these days – glamorous grannies, beautiful babies, talent contests, sports , and of course we stayed in a ‘chalet‘.
“Basically a hut, but ‘chalet ‘sounded better in the adverts!
“Another regular port of call was Aviemore in winter which was great as there was lots of snow, and sledging was the order of the day, then 10-pin bowling, and the cinema and hot dogs and Coke.
“Ah, the simple things in life, all accompanied by Cat Steven’s ‘Matthew and Son’ blasting out of the radio!
“Over the years, the destinations changed to the likes of Mauritius, St Lucia and Thailand where I live now. Cannes, Greek Islands etc.
“But these early ones were fun and good to think back on!”
Scots singer Sheena Wellington:
Dundee-born traditional Scottish singer Sheena Wellington is best known for performing the Robert Burns song A Man’s A Man For A’ That at the opening ceremony of the Scottish Parliament in 1999.
However, when the Harris Academy-educated 78-year-old reflects on her 1950s Dundee childhood, it’s the long summer holidays fondly remembered as “The Seevin Weekies” that still bring a “a smile to the lips and a suspicious brightness to the eye”.
“I was one of those bairns who enjoyed school,” she said.
“But even I loved the long summer days exploring, playing, and later on, berry picking, maybe even going away for the holiday week!
“Probably wisely, we were never told in advance that we were going anywhere.
“It wasn’t until the suitcases appeared that we could get excited.”
Trips to the ‘berries’ and on the ‘Fifie’
Sheena remembers one “glorious” holiday to Butlins in Ayr.
But most trips were to family connections in Glasgow or Donegal.
When her cousin married a Cornish lass, she recalls an epic overnight rail trip to Camborne.
“The wedding breakfast might have been a bit sedate by Scottish standards,” she said.
“But the bride’s father, having been told about the famed Dundee scrammel – scrammie evolved later – put his hand in his pocket and threw for the children a collection of change, all half crowns and two bob bits!
“We collected enough between us to go to St Ives on the train where we had a glorious time until an incident, details still classified, led to us being marched back to the railway station and ordered not to return!
“There was also the famed “day here and there”.
“That could be the Fifie to Newport, the train to Edinburgh or St Andrews or a bus trip to Braemar or the Trossachs; the possibilities endless.
“But mostly, we were here, playing boxies, cattie and battie, ropes or setting out with knapsack, bottle of water and a couple of treacle pieces to explore the world.
“And, of course, the berries!
“Up at dawn and on the bus where, in spite of being the world’s least competent berry-picker I managed to make quite decent money by singing requests at denner-time! It was rare!”
Photographer and BBC Landward presenter Shabaz Majeed:
Award-winning Dundee-born and bred landscape and aerial photographer Shahbaz Majeed is a familiar face to viewers of BBC Landward.
The 41-year-old former pupil of Glebelands Primary and Morgan Academy who studied computing at Dundee University often travels the country to seek out photo opportunities.
Thinking back to childhood holidays, however, it’s trips to Arbroath for Pleasureland, the beaches and getting an ice cream as a treat that stand out, as well as the occasional trip to Aberdeen to visit the beach there.
Broughty Ferry esplanade and beach was also always a favourite, not just for a holiday but whenever they had good weather, to visit.
He especially remembers the coin-operated bikes at the play park and the crazy golf and how they would beg their parents to have ‘one more go’.
“Other places I recall we were lucky enough to visit as youngsters in a shared car was Glasgow although it was mainly shopping trips rather than holidays,” he said.
“As a kid, the only abroad trips we had was going to Pakistan to visit family in the summer time and I remember how hot it used to be.
“But the experience of being on a plane was always fun and staring out to not much through the tiny plane windows fascinated me.”
Treasured memories of family time
With his parents holding down multiple jobs and doing multiple shifts, Shahbaz treasures those memories of the family all being together and having fun somewhere other than home.
“My first trip away without family was with my friends to London after our final year university exams and before our official graduation,” he said.
“What an experience that was – we still talk about that trip and the fun we had and the chance to explore new places on your own terms was so fulfilling.
“I knew then if given the opportunity I would want to travel and see as many places as I could as I got older.
“Around the same time I got the opportunity to visit various exotic places like Dubai, Hong Kong and Turkey with my brother and cousin over many years on boys only trips and my camera was always with me.
“It was much to their annoyance that I would want time to capture ‘proper photos’ and not simply take in as much as we could.
“But they were experiences that I still remember quite vividly.”
Shahbaz adds that as a child he never really got to experience Scotland’s overall offerings.
Today, however, he feels he is “making up for it” with all his travels capturing the beauty of Scotland and sharing them with the world.
“I am definitely over compensating by taking my family to lots of new places,” he added.
Dundee city councillor Lynne Short:
Councillor Lynne Short, who was recently appointed Dundee City Council spokesperson for sport, culture and history, laughs that she “didn’t really have the normal Dundee experience when it came to holidays”.
The now 54-year-old realises she was “very lucky” to have had so many travel opportunities so young.
However, one of her stand-out memories came when she turned 16 in Ibiza at the same hotel where a famous Wham! music video had been shot just a week earlier.
“There’s been lots (in the news) about George Michael at the moment because he would have turned 60,” she said.
“Well, the hotel we stayed at when I turned 16 was the one they’d made the Club Tropicana video at just a week previous.
“That was quite exciting.
“I was definitely a Wham! fan back in the day!
“As a 16 year old that was definitely a good thing to have experienced!”
Opening up of opportunities
Travel was not unusual for Lynne’s “very working class parents” who met through the Royal Naval Reserve.
However, her mum’s work with Menzieshill Community Centre also opened up “loads of different opportunities”.
“One of my earliest holidays was going ‘Doon the Water’ in 1970,” said the former Invergowrie Primary and Harris Academy pupil.
“By the time 1976 came around, believe it or not mum and dad piled in a minibus as part of Menzieshill Community Centre and did a European tour.
“We went in this minibus with the community centre. We went to places like Como and Innbruck and Heidelberg and places where I actually as an adult went back and went ‘oh I’ve been here before’!”
Lynne, who learned to ski at Hillend outside Edinburgh, went on skiing holidays to Italy as a youngster.
She’d also go on family trips skiing at Aviemore.
But she also remembers going on holiday to Blackpool where she became the first person in her school to get her ears pierced.
Yugoslavia and House of Commons
“When I was 12 we went to what was Yugoslavia,” she said.
“It was right after Tito had died.
“That again was very new and exciting.
“When I was in P7 we did a school trip to London.
“We went to the Houses of Parliament.
“I said to the guy who was guiding us to ‘find out where the SNP sat’, because I’ve always been a pain in the neck!” she laughed.
The family had a caravan as well. They used to go to places like Morecambe.
They once went over to Belgium, near Oostende, for a summer holiday.
After her parents moved to France through her dad’s work with Michelin, she did her own wee “European tour” at the age of 21.
“I got the train from Dundee to Paris,” she said, “and then down to their house in Clermont-Ferrand and then up to Belgium to meet a friend’s auntie and then on to Amsterdam and got the ferry back home to Dundee again.”
Inspired to become a tour guide
Lynne later went on to travel extensively as a tour guide.
She’s in no doubt that those early experiences of travel stayed with her.
Reflecting on everywhere she’s been, however, she realises that Dundee has got to be one of the most brilliantly situated cities in the world as far as the geography is concerned.
As a tour guide, she’d also met seasoned global travellers who said their favourite place on earth is Edinburgh.
While travel broadens the mind, it was a reminder that we should appreciate everything that’s on the doorstep.
What are your favourite summer memories?
DC Thomson has opened its archives to celebrate summer in past times.
Our Meadowside HQ at Albert Square in Dundee will be showcasing exclusive images of nostalgic summer moments.
Reminisce: Summer Memories will give our readers the chance to relive days gone by with old friends and you can drop-in to the Courier community event from 9am-12pm on Wednesday and Thursday July 26 and 27 and Wednesday and Thursday August 2 and 3.
So grab your sun hat and join us for a trip down memory lane.
