Memorial bench unveiled to mark inspirational life of Charles McKay
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
THE life and works of an inspirational figure on Buckie’s business, Rotary and music scenes has been commemorated with the unveiling of a memorial bench.
Friends and family gathered next to the Buckie’s Darling statue on High Street to formally unveil the tribute to Charles McKay, who passed away in March 2018 at the age of 76.
Mr McKay ran the House of Hair Fashion on the town’s West Cathcart Street for over 50 years and was a driving force in the local Rotary, having been involved in creating the annual Six Harbour Walk fundraiser.
He was also well-known and respected on the north-east music scene and beyond.
Constructed mainly of stainless steel, the bench’s design incorporates many different facets of Mr McKay’s life, including scissors and musical notes. It was crafted by the same artist – Carn Standing from Banff – who created the Buckie’s Darling sculpture.
A tree has already been planted near the bench by House of Hair Fashion staff with the Rotary set to do likewise soon.
Colin Mackay, Mr McKay’s son, said: “I’m very pleased to see this come to fruition.
“We first had the idea back in 2018 when we were approached by a number of organisations regarding some form of memorial in recognition of Dad’s charity work. However, it was all curtailed by Covid and due to the pandemic Carn had problems for a while sourcing the steel.
“It was decided my Dad being a practical kind of guy that a bench would be useful, especially if folks messages are getting a wee bit heavy coming back from Tesco they can get a break. I’m sure he’d get a kick out of that! The land is an area he was involved planting bulbs so in the spring it’s a beautiful show welcoming people to the town.
“We wanted to do something different with the bench, my Dad was involved in the Arts all his life and we wanted to reflect that. Charles Milne, who owns and maintains the land it’s on, came up with the idea of asking Carn Standing to come up with a design. I feel the results speak for themselves. The man truly is the Michelangelo of the North. He’s managed to incorporate music and hairdressing my Dad’s two great loves beautifully into the steel work.”
For Mr Standing, the commission was something of a departure from his normal line of work.
“I normally do public art sculptures, so this was something a bit different,” he explained.
“It’s certainly the first time I’ve done a bench.
“I was very interested in Colin’s dad’s story and it was a pleasure working on the bench. Colin and his family are lovely people.
“I think the bench fits in well with the stag sculpture nearby.”
Buckie Rotary Club President Andrew Murray said: “Charles made a huge contribution to the Rotary.
“He was very creative and imaginative as well as hard-working – he got things done and was very pro-active.”
Joining the unveiling ceremony were long-serving House of Hair fashion staff Diane Gilbertson and Lynne Sutherland.
Ms Gilbertson said: “We’re glad to have been able to plant a tree next to the bench, which is in a wonderful spot.”
Mrs Sutherland added: “It’s looks great and we’re delighted to have been able to play a part.”
After leaving school, Mr McKay served his time as a welder at Herd and McKenzie’s Shipyard in
Buckie, moving on to Hamilton Brothers for a while before heading to London where he worked
in the Vauxhall car plant at Luton.
He auditioned for a TV show in London and a career in the world of music opened up, which saw him make a recording at the famous Tin Pan Alley on Denmark Street in the West End. A trip to the United States was on the cards but it was to be the music of love that was to win the day, with Mr McKay returning north to be with sweetheart Sybil, who he married in 1964. However, he was never to sever the link with music, going on to sing with the Buckie Operatic Society and, from 1982, the Mario Jannetta Big Band.
Mr McKay was also to become a stalwart of the Buckie Choral Union, where for many years he was the lead tenor.
In 1965, he m a d e the massive leap into the realm of hairdressing, heading back to London at the
prestigious Morris School where he rubbed shoulders with luminaries such as Vidal Sassoon. He also brought back with him many t e c h n i q u e s unheard of at the time in Buckie, such as the now commonplace cut and blow dry.
