On the eve of Dundee’s new Maggie’s centre being officially opened 20 years ago, the then fundraising manager Valerie Busher stood in the kitchen, waiting for the kettle to boil, with tears rolling down her cheeks.
She ran the gamut of emotions as she stood in the empty centre – joy, relief, satisfaction, sadness.
For after almost three years of concentrated fund raising, Dundee’s new centre, designed by the eminent architect, Frank Gehry, was finally finished.
No more hard hats, no more wires, wood or woeful expressions, wondering if the project would ever be finished.
It was finished, and ready for the following day’s opening on September 25, 2003, by Sir Bob Geldof.
Not that Valerie ever thought it wouldn’t be, but she would have been less than honest if she didn’t admit to a few doubts over the months.
After all, it was a tall order, to say the least, to raise £1.3 million, even given Taysiders’ and Fifers’ legendary generosity for support of such good causes.
Maggie’s Dundee came about at the end of a ‘rollercoaster journey’
Sitting in the beautiful space that would become a meeting room cum relaxing area, she reflected on the roller coaster journey which had been hers and that of the project over the previous 30 months.
She applied for the job as fund-raising manager just 19 months after the death, from cancer, of her husband Gary at the age of 39.
Valerie said at the time: “I can remember coming down here and it was just a green field at the back of Ninewells Hospital.
“It has been amazing to watch it taking shape over the months.
“I have never watched weather forecasts the way I have over the last couple of years.
“I can tell you exactly when we had 28 days of consecutive rain, for that spell of weather really caused havoc.
“Then we had all the problems with implementing the design, especially the roof.
“But the craftsmen have done a terrific job.
“And we have the best location of any of the Maggie’s centres in Scotland.
“From the outset I could see the location was absolutely perfect for such a centre.
“Then I was shown Frank Gehry’s design for the building and I was hooked.”
What did architect Frank Gehry say at the opening?
On opening day itself, the architect Frank Gehry said it could provide a valuable lesson when it came to finally judging the then relatively new Scottish Parliament.
In an exclusive interview with The Courier, Mr Gehry, widely rated the world’s greatest architect for his work on projects like Bilbao’s Guggenheim Museum and the then new Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, said ambitious architectural projects should not be fully judged until they are complete and their contribution to their environment and the people around them can be properly assessed.
The Scottish Parliament project at Holyrood had seen costs spiral out way beyond the original budget.
Mr Gehry was well aware of the pressures of completing a major project.
And while not claiming any special knowledge of a parliament building being built 6,000 miles from his home in Los Angeles, he did say the time to judge would be when it was complete.
“This building cost £1.3 million,” said Mr Gehry, sitting in the stunning “lighthouse” tower of his Maggie’s Centre at Ninewells.
“The original budget was £500,000.
“I don’t think you could have even built a box building on the original budget.
“The architecture probably added 20% to the cost, and there was no fee for me, so they got a good deal on that!
“So maybe they could have built a drab, ordinary building for £1 million.
“It could have been a little straight box, and it could maybe even have been just as comfortable.
“But the softening of it, just with these slight curves, adds a warmth to it. It also adds just enough of that unique feeling that makes it special.
“And we want to make these people that will come here feel special.
“Their affliction entitles them to be treated specially.
“They lose a little through the condition they have, but they gain that.
“I wanted it to be just special enough that people would feel that, and certainly the outpouring of interest here today from the press and the media suggests we have accomplished something of that.”
Maggie’s Dundee value to the city and wider area seemed assured
Mr Gehry said there was a responsibility on the architect to keep costs as close to the original projections as possible, but added that there had be a realistic approach from clients as to how much the building of their dreams may cost to build.
The value lent to Dundee by Gehry’s Maggie’s Centre already seemed assured.
As Sir Bob Geldof said while performing the official opening, it had become “an instant landmark.”
That’s something that remains true for so many to this day.
How to donate to Maggie’s Dundee
The Courier has been reporting on the 20th anniversary of Maggie’s Dundee cancer care drop-in centre which needs to raise £600,000 per year to survive.
The Scotties by the Sea fundraiser, currently underway in St Andrews and along the north-east Fife coast, hopes to raise at least £150,000 for Maggie’s Dundee at an auction of the colourful canine sculptures on October 31.
Individuals have also been fundraising.
Donations for Maggie’s Dundee also be made by scanning this QR code.
To donate directly to Maggie’s Dundee, go to justgiving.com/page/maggies-dundee
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