The last provost of Brechin, Alexander (Sandy) Buchan, has died in a Montrose nursing home. He was 86.
Born in Brechin, Mr Buchan lived all his life in the area, except during service with the RAF during the second world war.
At different times he started training as a lawyer and a doctor, but found he preferred the country life and became an agricultural merchant.
Outside of his business, he devoted much of his life to serving his local community on both the burgh and town councils, topping the polls almost every time he stood for election, and was Brechin’s civic head from 1966 until 1975 and reorganisation. He then served on Angus Council.
Mr Buchan also served as a magistrate and JP and in 1974 was appointed an honorary sheriff at Forfar.
In 1989 he had the distinction of being appointed the sole lay representative from Scotland on the UK General Medical Council, which meant regular meetings in London.
An elder of Gardner Memorial Church, Mr Buchan was an active churchman, played hockey and cricket for Brechin and was actively involved with both Brechin Rotary and Probus clubs.
He was a former captain of Edzell Golf Club, honorary president of Brechin Golf Club, a member of the R&A and life member of the Scottish Golf Union.
Outside of sport, and in reflection of the contributions he made to the community, he was a member of the Society of Friends of Brechin Cathedral, the Angus Talking Newspaper Association and the Brechin Civic Trust, and trustee of the Mechanics Institute Trust and of the Don Centenary Trust.
Mr Buchan is also remembered as an outstanding after-dinner speaker.
His wife of 53 years, May Milne Melvin, died in 2005. The couple had no children.
Mr Buchan’s funeral will take place on Friday, August 13, in Gardner Memorial Church at 1.30pm, then at Parkgrove crematorium, Friockheim.
Mourners are asked not to send flowers but donations can be made to the Royal National Lifeboat Institution.