Dundee discoveries

On Saturday we left Aberdeen and headed for Edinburgh. And en route there was a very important stop to be made in Dundee.

I thought Dundee was famous only for Dundee shortbread (the stuff with the sugar sprinkles on top that you buy in the NZ supermarkets) but as we were to learn it is actually more famous for jam, jute, journalism and, most importantly from our point of view, for being the home of George Kidd.

George Kidd was someone we had researched because David had heard all his life that one of his grandmothers (ten) siblings had lived in Dundee, and had a boy, George, who was David’s father’s first cousin.

David wanted to see if we could find him so before we left we googled and found George Kidd had a pub called the Ellenbank Bar. In Aberdeen we checked the Scottish white pages and eventually located George Kidd junior. (George Kidd senior had died ten years previously but George Kidd junior was David’s contemporary, and his second cousin).

So we arrived in Dundee and were met by Laraine (George jnr's wife). She had very thoughtfully arranged a short tour of Dundee before we went out to their place in Broughty Ferry for lunch.

Our first stop was Scott’s boat, the Discovery which has been in dry dock in Dundee for 20 odd years now.

Next stop was Dundee Law (law is Scottish for hill). Unfortunately famous landmarks like the Tay bridge weren’t at their best in the pouring rain.

And of course we couldn’t visit Dundee without seeing the Ellenbank Rar.

But the highlight of the trip was meeting George and Laraine and hearing the most fantastic stories of their, and their George Kidd senior’s, life.

Turns out George senior was the world light weight professional wrestling champion and defended his title 49 times, was one of Dundee’s early television stars (3 separate programmes each of which ran for a few years) a stand up comic, and the owner operator of the well known Ellenbank bar. A very colourful well known celebrity.

George and Laraine also ran the pub for 15 years but have now sold it. They enjoy skiing and travelling and so go away often. Back in Dundee they have rental property and vending machines as well as doing some part time work.

They were extremely welcoming and showed us lots of George’s old prizes, wrestling belts and the like.

All too soon the afternoon was over and we had to press on to Edinburgh – but that of course is another story.