A duo of centenarians
20 January 2020This year’s centenary celebrations of public forestry in Britain have been capped by the 100th birthday celebration of retired former Forestry Commissioner, George Stewart.
Mr Stewart, was born in Glasgow on December 12, 1919 only three days after the newly formed Forestry Commission planted its first trees at Monaughty Forest, near Elgin.
After serving with the Royal Artillery in WWII, both in North Africa and Italy, Mr Stewart studied for a forestry degree at Edinburgh University and joined the Forestry Commission in 1949.
Initially based in the Borders and Dumfriesshire, he later worked with Forest Research, took a post in north-west England, and became FC conservator for west Scotland – and was responsible for organising the response to the Great Storm of January 1968, which blew down a huge swathe of forest area.
After ‘retiring’ in 1979, Mr Stewart served as the chair of the Scottish Wildlife Trust as well as being on the Council of the National Trust for Scotland. He has been a member of the Royal Scottish Forestry Society since 1949 and was made an honorary vice-president earlier in 2019.
“George is an amazing character and puts many of us to shame,” said Nander Robertson, president of the Royal Scottish Forestry Society.
“He still skis (after learning in Italy during the war) and only took up tennis – which he still plays – when he retired! He’s even been a member of the British over-80s tennis team and won two world championships in his age class.
The coincidence of the two centenaries was too good an opportunity to pass up so, working with a number of organisations, the Society has committed Mr Stewarts memories and reminiscences of his life in forestry to film.
“It is a unique insight into how forestry has grown through the 20th century to the point where it now supports many jobs, contributes greatly to the rural economy and offers the people of Scotland a huge recreational and conservation resource.”
The 30min film is called ‘A Remembrance of Forestry and the Forestry Commission’ and can be seen at https://youtu.be/X8DYACOnhOY.
Highlights can also be viewed at https://youtu.be/QwRORLA4naY as well as on the centenary website https://www.forestcentenary.scot/videos.
