Friday should be a day of celebration for the friends and family of Fifer Malcolm Campbell.
Instead, two months after a series of explosions ripped through the Pike River mine in New Zealand, they will be spending what would have been his 26th birthday at a poignant memorial service in St Andrews.
Malcolm was one of 29 miners to die as a result of the disaster, which also claimed the life of Perth man Pete Rodger.
Their bodies have never been recovered.
On Friday Malcolm’s friends and family will gather at St Leonard’s Parish Church to remember the former Madras College pupil.
He had been due to marry his sweetheart Amanda Shields (23) just a month after the explosion which claimed his life.
Malcolm left Scotland for a holiday in Australia around four years ago but decided he wanted to start a new life in the country.’Closure’He worked in gold and titanium mines for two years before setting off for New Zealand, where he met Amanda, in 2008.
Malcolm’s father, also Malcolm, said he hoped the memorial would give people a chance to say a final farewell to a much-loved friend and relative.
“We really wanted to do something to give closure to people at home and we also wanted to do it for his birthday,” he said.
There was further heartache for the victims of the Pike River collapse earlier this month when the operation to recover the miners’ bodies was called off.
With the mine deemed to be unstable, rescue workers said it was too dangerous to enter.
There was a massive outpouring of grief following November’s catastrophe and the Prince of Wales was among those to send messages of condolence to New Zealand prime minister John Key.
Prince William, who has fond memories of life in St Andrews following his time as a student in the town, also spoke of his sadness.