Obituary: John Blain, leading figure in physical education

Died: July 25, 2018

JOHN Blain, who has died aged 96, was very well known in physical education. He lectured on the subject, he was a senior advisor in Dunbartonshire and he was a leading figure in the Scottish Association for Physical Education. For many years he also organised a schools tennis tournament and was known for introducing many young people to sport.

He was born in Port Glasgow and educated at the John Neilson Institution in Paisley. He trained as a PE teacher at the Scottish School of Physical Education at Jordanhill, before being enlisted into the Army Ordnance Corps in 1942. Most of his service was spent on the island of Hoy in Orkney, constructing, operating and repairing radio location equipment – an early form of radar.

His first teaching post following discharge from the army was at Milngavie Junior Secondary School and Duntocher Senior, followed by a post at Hermitage Academy in Helensburgh and Kilcreggan.

He was appointed principal teacher of PE at Hermitage in 1947, a post he held for 10 years. During this time there he met and married Hilda Ferguson, a primary teacher at Hermitage.

In 1957 he was appointed the first warden of Inverclyde National Recreation Centre, as it was then called, in Largs which was opened by The Queen as a memorial to her father King George VI. In this role he was responsible for establishing the centre to cater for a wide range of training programmes for established athletes and coaches, recreational activities for young people, and outdoor activity courses during term time for school children.

In 1962 he took up the post of PE lecturer at Langside College of Further Education, Glasgow, and subsequently at Barmulloch College where he organised PE activities for all full time and day release students. Many a trainee nursery nurse or bricklayer was introduced to sporting activities not generally taught in schools at that time, and it is not an exaggeration to say that these experiences of a particular sport changed lives.

Finally he was appointed as PE advisor for Dunbartonshire. A firm believer in participation in sport and physical education for all, he was instrumental in enabling all primary children in the county to have swimming lessons.

He served on various committees and was secretary then president of the Scottish Association for Physical Education (Men).

In 1969 he was asked to organise a schools tennis tournament sponsored by Nestle, a role that he enthusiastically fulfilled for some 30 years. The Scottish finalists travelled with him and Hilda to Queen’s Club, London where they competed against finalists from England, Wales and Ireland.

When the Commonwealth Games came to Edinburgh in 1970 he offered his services, thinking he might be put to good use as a time keeper or in some other low key role. However his organisational talents were recognised and he took on the task of training officer – no easy job to juggle the training requirements of all the elite athletes. He reprised the role at the 1986 Games.

John Blain had many and varied interests - he was a keen cricketer and footballer in his youth and golfer in later life. He and Hilda finally settled in the village of Gartocharn in 1974 and contributed greatly to community life. John was chairman of the Kilmaronock Burns Club for several years and served on the congregational board of Kilmaronock - Gartocharn Church.

He was a co founder of the Helensburgh branch of the Royal Scottish Country Dance Societ and in 2002 became honorary vice president.

His wife, Hilda pre-deceased him in 2002 and he is survived by his three children, seven grandchildren and five great grandchildren.