One of Scotland’s longest-serving clerics retired on Sunday after more than half a century as a minister in Monifieth.
The Rev Donald Fraser was honoured during a packed service at Monifieth South Church, where around 400 people squeezed into the building.
Mr Fraser, a native of Inverness, said the biggest change he has seen during his 51 years as a minister in the town was the growth of Monifieth.
“When I first came here I was told there was probably not much chance of increased housing in Monifieth then it became the fastest growing small burgh in Scotland,” he said.
“There was only one school when I arrived and now there are three, including the high school. That has been one of my great loves being school chaplain.”
The weekend marked a double celebration for Mr Fraser, as he and his wife, Nan, celebrated their 51st wedding anniversary on Saturday.
The couple were married the year they moved to Monifieth and Nan has become heavily involved in the church, particularly with Sunday school and setting up the book stall.
She said, “It has been wonderful here because we grew up with the congregation, being a young couple when we came.”
Mr Fraser played a key role in the union of Monifieth’s three Church of Scotland congregations in 2008, something he said he felt “privileged” to have been a part of.
Keeping it a friends and family event, Mr Fraser’s grand-daughter Iona Stewart read Sunday’s first lesson.
Other tributes to Mr Fraser included a journey through his life, as performed by the Sunday school class, and the church’s Bible class giving a rendition of the songs of his beloved Abba.