Donald L Reid

DONALD L REID BA (Hons) FSA Scot

Donald Reid (58) was born and brought up in Dalmellington, Ayrshire where he attended the local High School. He is the eldest son of James and Mary Reid. He has lived in Beith for the past 20 years. He achieved his childhood ambition when he joined the Ayrshire Constabulary as a Police Cadet in 1967. When he retired from Strathclyde Police in 1999 he had been a Police Superintendent for 7 years, five of them spent as sub-divisional officer with responsibility for operational policing in two Glasgow City Centre sub-divisions at Cranstonhill and Stewart Street. Donald is married to Kathleen and his son Fraser and daughter Elaine are both holders of the bronze, silver and gold Duke of Edinburgh awards. Donald obtained a BA honours degree in politics in 1988 studying at the Open University. He was elected a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland in 1996.

A keen local historian and writer, he published Reflections of Beith and District (1994); Yesterday’s Beith – A Pictorial Guide (with Isobel Monahan 1998); Old Beith (2000 by Stenlake of Ochiltree); The Beith Supplement – The Story of Beith’s Newspaper (2000) and Old Dalmellington, Patna & Waterside which was published by Stenlake of Ochiltree in June 2001. In the Valley of Garnock – Beith, Dalry & Kilbirnie was published in November 2001. Recent books, Doon Valley Memories – Dalmellington Dunaskin Patna and district – A Pictorial Reflection, were published in April 2002 and reprinted in August that year and has since sold out again. Since then he has published Doon Valley Bygones, Beith Bygones and compiled a history of the Barrmill Jolly Beggars Burns Club for their diamond jubilee year entitled, Burns and Barrmill.

Following on was, Yesterday’s Patna & The Lost Villages of Doon Valley which was published on 25 February 2005 and was an enormous success selling over 700 copies in five weeks. The royalties and/or author’s fee for writing all the above books have been donated to local charities including Beith Open Award Group; Beith Old People’s Welfare Committee; Beith High and Beith Trinity Churches, United Reform Church and Our Lady’s Church all in Beith; the Dalmellington Band and Dunaskin Veteran Group; Dr Henry Faulds Societ; Beith Primary and Gateside Primary Schools. Royalties from the sale of these books have raised some £20,000 for charitable purposes. His most recent book was entitled: ROBERT BURNS’ VALLEY OF DOON: An Ayrshire Journey Down Memory Lane (October 2005) with royalties benefiting the Dalmellington Band to around £2,000. Stenlake Publishers produced Donald’s MORE OLD BEITH in September 2006. He published in June 2009, afer three years of research, DISCOVERING MATTHEW ANDERSON - POLICEMAN/POET OF AYRSHIRE. This tells part of the life story of Matthew Anderson (1846-1948)who made his mark as a noted writer of verse.

He was a founder member of Kilbirnie Boys Club in 1971 which specifically targeted local boys who were generally regarded as ‘unclubable’. This group was successful in encouraging local boys sports such as football, cycling and outdoor pursuits such as youth hostelling. He successfully led this club until 1977 when he moved to Kilmarnock on being married. He was awarded a scholarship under the auspices of the English Speaking Union in 1974 and spent one month in Canada studying youth work.

A passionate enthusiastic of the poetical works of Robert Burns and Robert W Service, Donald has twice been president of Barrmill Jolly Beggars’ Burns Club and is Hon President and secretary. He delivered the Immortal Memory to Robert Service at the Kilwinning Robert Service Commemorative Society dinner in 2002. With his good friend and fellow Burnsian, Iain D Shaw, he regularly gives illustrated talks about the poet entitled: Robert W Service - Poet of the People. Donald is organiser and Competition Controller of the Robert W Service International Verse-Speaking Competition which took place in Beith Community Centre, Ayrshire, Scotland on Saturday February 20 2009 and proved to be enormously popular

He is also a founder member and secretary of Beith Writers & Speakers Group which endeavours to assist local writers in their writing pursuits. A regular on the after dinner speaking circuit, particularly at Burns Suppers, Donald has spoken at events from Invernesshire to Staffordshire over the last 25 years. He is a past chairman of Garnock Valley Round Table. He gives regular talks on Dr Henry Faulds and Robert W Service as well as on The Doon Valley and Garnock Valley.

He was a founder member in 1990 of Beith Open Award Group based at Beith High Church which developed from the senior youth group of many years standing, in order to offer the young folk the range and variety of challenges presented by the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award. The Open Award Centre in Beith continues to be one of the largest Duke of Edinburgh Award Groups in Scotland and he is particularly proud that 46 young people have obtained the prestigious gold award with the group, over 80 receiving silver and over 140 receiving bronze awards. Due to a lack of qualified leaders for the expedition section of the award, the group unfortunately did not continue after 2005, but there is still a great demand for the award from young people locally.

Donald was accorded the honour of Beith Citizen of the Year in 1994 for his work in the local community. But as his pal, Iain D Shaw, reminds him: "Beith's not that big a place!" He is a member of the Consultative Committee at the Church of Scotland List ‘D’ Geilsland School in Beith and a volunteer driver for Garnock Valley Disability Group and Garnock Valley Community Transport Group which provides a transport facility for disabled people and local voluntary groups. He was for three years a board member of the Radio City Association which delivered a state of the art Healthy Living Centre to Kilbirnie in what was formerly the derelict Radio City Cinema. He is a member of Beith Civic Week Committee and provides support for many local groups in terms of assisting them with advice on grant applications and funding sources. Donald was a presenter in GVFM, a successful local radio station based in Kilbirnie which operated for an initial 4 week period in early 2007.

In earlier years Donald was a keen brass band musician, playing trombone with Dalmellington Band. He is President of the West of Scotland Brass Band Association. He has been a guest dress and deportment adjudicator at the West of Scotland Band Championships and the Land of Burns Competitions for the past 16 years. He is Minute Secretary of the Scottish Brass Band Association (SBBA) and is President of the West of Scotland Brass Band Association.

A respected Ayrshire historian, he gives a large number of talks each year to a variety of groups. Donald’s favourite poets are Robert Burns, Robert W Service and W D Cocker. He normally speaks at some 15 Burns Suppers each year.

He is the founder member and secretary of the Dr Henry Faulds Society. The group raised funds and an international memorial was inaugurated in Beith Town Centre on Friday, November 12 by Drew Duncan, Provost of North Ayrshire and Rt Hon Brian Wilson, MP for Cunninghame North in Beith Town Centre with guests from Japan and USA in attendance. It is hoped that this memorial will attract tourists to Beith from a wide spectrum of countries.

Donald has the Beith correspondent for the Ardrossan & Saltcoats Herald for the past 7.5 years and takes pride in providing locals with two full pages of news and around four photos each week. He has never missed a single week of reporting over that period of time - perhaps something of a local record! A former member of Beith and District Community Council, he prepared and co-ordinated the bids by Beith for the Scottish Calor Gas Community of the Year and Beith reached the finals in 2003 and 2004 and won prizes in sections dealing with community business, older people, young people and community life. An STV programme entitled, Rising to the Challenge, featured Beith as part of the awards and this was broadcast on Thursday, November 4, 2004.

That apart, he does not have a lot of spare time but he also manages to spent five days each week looking after his 5 year old old grandson, Taylor and will shortly begin child=minding duties for his grandson, Owen James born in July 2009. His motto is: “Live life to the full every day.”