Campbell Watson, a solicitor in Kinross who played a prominent role in the community over many years, has died aged 74.
He was a partner in Andersons LLP, a Rotarian, a member of Kinross Golf Club as well as its legal adviser.
Campbell had also been a member of the community council and served for 16 years as chairman of Kinross Centre.
Campbell Colin Watson, who died after a short illness, was born in London in 1947.
Formative years
He boarded first at Drumtochty Castle Preparatory School and then Fettes College, Edinburgh.
His son, Ian, said: “It was this experience which perhaps instilled in him the independence, self-assurance, and consummate ease in social situations which defined him as a person.”
Campbell completed his education at St Andrews University (Queen’s College, Dundee), graduating in law in 1972.
Overseas
After a spell in the Caribbean working in investment banking, where he met his wife of 37 years, Pauline, he returned to Scotland to work as a solicitor and later a partner at Andersons LLP in Kinross (formerly JL Anderson & Co).
He was instrumental in building Andersons into the thriving business it is today, and continued working there until his illness.
Public service
An active and popular member of the community, Campbell was recently involved in bringing Parkrun to Kinross, something which brought him great satisfaction.
As well as volunteering regularly, he often ran it himself with his children and grandchildren in tow.
A man of wide and varied interests, Campbell was blessed with family and a legion of close friends with whom to share those interests; skiing, golfing, diving, and making music to mention just a few.
Mountains
He was particularly proud of his status as a Munro “compleatist” which he achieved in 1998, and he deeply valued the time he spent in the bothies and hills with family and friends in the pursuit of that goal.
Campbell continued to enjoy spending time in the outdoors right up until the end.
It would be difficult to name a sport Campbell didn’t have an interest in, but it was football which he loved the most.
Glory days
A Dundee FC fan in his youth and a long-suffering follower of the Scottish national team, he was old enough to remember good times for both; Dundee winning the league in 1962 and bunking off school in 1963 to see Scotland beat England 2-1 at Wembley.
His greatest love, however, was Liverpool FC and, as a season ticket holder, he regularly travelled to Anfield to see them play.
Euro triumph
Campbell was proud to have witnessed first-hand the Miracle of Istanbul in 2005 and even a life-threatening hernia was not enough to prevent him attending Liverpool’s most recent Champions League victory in Madrid in 2019.
A deep interest in people and place meant that Campbell travelled widely during his life.
From his travels around South America after university, to his life in the Caribbean; from his diving expeditions in the Pacific, to following Liverpool, Scotland and the British Lions abroad, he managed to see much of the world.
Settled
If pressed, however, he would name Assynt as his favourite place on earth. And on a cold, wet winter’s day, Campbell was most happy at home in Kinross in front of a roaring fire and the football.
He is survived by Pauline, with whom he was recently reunited, and who helped care for him in his final weeks, his brother George, his children Ian, Stuart and Verity, and his grandchildren Barney and Lucille Watson, and Sam, Isla and Alex Thwaites.