Hairdresser and former president of the National Hairdressers Federation
Born: July 22, 1920;
Died: January 28, 2019
ARTHUR Nevay, who has died aged 98, was a Scottish hairdresser who rose to the top of his profession. He was a former president of the National Hairdressers Federation and chairman of the Hairdressing Training Board and in the 1970s was appointed to the board of Fife College, a position he retained for some 25 years.
He continued to run his shop in Bank Street, Lochgelly, well into his eighties along with his wife Eliza, but had a major influence in the wider profession. He operated a training scheme for hundreds of trainees on behalf of the National Hairdressers Federation and in 1988 was the first person from Britain to be elected as vice-president of the Confederation of International de la Coiffure.
He was born in Kinross from where he was taken by his father and mother as an infant to Glencraig in Fife, where his father had purchased a hairdressing business. Apart from the five years he spent in the RAF during the war years from 1940 to 1945, Arthur was quite happy to spend his life living and working in Glencraig.
On leaving school, he joined the family business and during the 1950s and 1960s he expanded it by five salons. When the original business was forced to close due to the village of Glencraig being demolished, he moved up to the new township of Ballingry.
Later in life, he became a community stalwart and an important part of the local Benarty Heritage Preservation Group. He was a very active and supportive member of the group from the moment it was set up and was regarded by many as a “walking local genealogy” source who was always ready to share the knowledge he had stored away in his very able memory. The history group produced more than 12 books, copies of which are usually placed in the local library for use by the community, and he enjoyed working on them.
In 2015 he compiled and published Robert McLeod Cowdenbeath Miner Poet – an Anthology by Arthur Nevay, edited by Margaret Bennett, an honorary research fellow at St Andrews University and well known Scottish singer and musician.
Mr Nevay's other great interest was the cubs and the scouting movement which gave him an early opportunity to have a taste of travelling and in 1937, he was asked to go as a representative to the World Scout Jubilee in Holland.
His keen interest in scouting continued for many years, and he played his part in setting up the 98th Scout Group in Ballingry.
His community work saw him win the Benarty Citizen of the Year Award in 2014.
He was also a long time member of Cowdenbeath Rotary Club and did the research which saw a special booklet published for the club's 90th anniversary a few years ago.
He was president in 1985/86 and worked hard for the club in many roles.
President Norman Black said: "Arthur was a rotary legend and was in his 50th year of membership and just liked helping people.
"Even when he had to step back a bit as he entered his 90s he was still a man with a razor sharp mind and was always ready to help in any way he could."
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