Donald and Mina Mackenzie

Farmer’s wife and cattle breeder;

Born: December 21, 1917; Died: July 6, 2011.

Donald and Mina Mackenzie, who have died within a day of each other aged 97 and 93, enjoyed a remarkable partnership that lasted more than 70 years.

Farmers and cattle breeders, they were part of the fabric of life in Angus for many decades, each serving their local community in myriad ways.

Though neither came from the area, the imprint of their good works remains in the rural heartland where they spent all their married life. Mr Mackenzie was born in Rathven, Banffshire, but moved with his father from Home Farm, Kinloss, to a farm at Pittengardner, Fordoun, in 1934.

Mrs Mackenzie was a young nurse from Chapel of Garioch, Inverurie, when she moved to work at Hillside near Montrose and subsequently met her future husband at a nurses’ dance.

The couple, who shared the same birthday, married in Montrose in 1939. When the Second World War broke out Mr Mackenzie had volunteered to serve his country but was advised that he would make a bigger contribution by producing as much as possible at home on the farm. And as farming became their life, they built up a successful herd of pedigree Hereford cattle, all bred following the import of six heifers and a bull from Canada, and regularly won championships at agricultural shows around the north-east.

Mr Mackenzie was a life member of the Hereford Cattle Society from 1959, serving on its council from 1973 to 1984. He was also a member of the society’s breed development and editing committee.

In 1976 he represented Scotland at the eighth World Hereford Conference in Calgary, Canada, and took part in a trade mission to Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina to promote the sale of the breed’s bulls.

He also exported five Hereford bulls and a heifer to China.

In demand as a judge at major agricultural shows across the UK and Ireland, at home he was a director of Laurencekirk Mart for 24 years and its chairman for eight years. He retired from farming in 1981 but went on to have an interest in pure-bred hens and bantams at home at Brownmuir House, Fordoun.

Embedded in his local community, he had also given 42 years’ service, within various authorities, to local politics: he was a member of Laurencekirk District Council for four years, during which he served as chairman for two years; he was a member of Kincardine County Council for 17 years and chaired its general purposes and planning committees as well as the licensing board; he also served for 19 years on Kincardine and Deeside District Council where he spent eight years as convenor. He remained a councillor until he was 82.

Awarded the MBE in 1985 in recognition of his work in the community, he had also been tax commissioner for Kincardine division for a considerable period of time, spent numerous years on the bench in Kincardineshire as a JP and was a founder member, and latterly an honorary member, of his local Laurencekirk Rotary Club. As a result of his public service he met and dined with royalty and became a minor celebrity himself, opening leisure centres, pavilions and a supermarket.

His most extensive service was reserved for the Kirk where he had been an elder in Fordoun and West Mearns for more than 50 years, was property convenor for a time and had even, in emergencies, taken some services.

Like her husband, Mrs Mackenzie was an elder and had been the first woman to be ordained an elder in the parish. She too was a Hereford breeder and took great pride in showing her prize-winning cattle.

She was also an enormous support as a good wife, mother and homemaker. A talented needlewoman, she made party dresses and ballgowns for her daughters, numerous items for the house and craftwork for church and other sales. A great cook and home baker, a beautiful singer and pianist, in addition she enjoyed floral art and her garden.

Just as her husband was active in the community, she too contributed to local life. She drove for the Red Cross and the WRVS and was involved in Fordoun Curlers, Stonehaven Choral, the church, the Women’s Guild and the Inner Wheel.

They worked as a team for more than 72 years and, in the end, were separated by a brief 24 hours before being reunited in a joint funeral service and laid to rest together.

Predeceased by their daughter Sheila, they are survived by their daughters Margaret and Rita, son Donald, eight grandchildren, 11 great-grandchildren and one great great-grandchild.