TPRC - The Past
A Brief Historical Account
Early Beginnings
The first effective moves towards providing retirement courses in Dundee were taken in the late 1970s by the Community Education Department. They recruited a panel of speakers and developed a five-day course. Unfortunately these courses did not attract much interest and many had to be cancelled due to lack of support. In 1979, the idea was conceived that a voluntary body could be set up to aid the Community Education Department with planning, publicity and recruitment of course participants. The first steps in achieving this were taken by the Rotary Club of Dundee and as a result of the efforts of Bob Gilbert of the Rotary Club, a steering committee was set up. This led to the establishment of an Interim Executive Committee which had its first meeting on 6th March 1980. W.K. Fitzgerald, Convenor of Tayside Regional Council was its Honorary President. The Chairman was the Very Rev. John Rogan; Vice Chairman, Dr Oswald Taylor-Brown; Honorary Secretary, Mr J Howie and Honorary Treasurer, Mr A Durkie.Other members included Mr R.H Gilbert, Mr R.T. Murray, Mr P Toal and Mr I Rodgers. (Ian Rodgers is still a member of the Pre-Retirement Council and iscurrently its Vice-Chairman.)
The Interim Executive Committee
The functions of the Interim Executive Committee included defining the aims and objectives of a retirement council, planning pre-retirement educational activities, drawing up a formal constitution and raising funds. They succeeded in obtaining grants from a wide range of bodies such as the Rotary Club of Dundee, the Dundee Chamber of Commerce and the Tayside Regional Council. They also persuaded many local companies and other employers to become affiliated members at a cost of £10.00 per year.
The interim committee also ran a very successful pilot pre-retirement course in May – June, 1981 whichconsisted of five weekly one day sessions instead of the original five consecutive days. This would appear to have been a more popular arrangement as it attracted 27 participants. The last meeting of the Interim Executive was in July 1981.
Inauguration of Dundee and District Retirement Council
The inaugural meeting of the Dundee and District Retirement Council took place on 23rd September 1981 (and it is the 30th anniversary of this event that is being celebrated to-day). At the inaugural meeting,as well as members of the Interim Executive Committee, some 27 others attended by invitation. They wererepresentatives fromseveral bodies including local businesses and industry, the Tayside Health Board, the University of Dundee, Tayside Regional Council, Dundee District Council, the Soroptimists, Rotary Clubsand Dundee Chamber of Commerce. On the motion of the Honorary President, Dr WK Fitzgerald, it was unanimously agreed that “the Dundee and District Retirement Council be hereby officially constituted . . .”
Developments 1981 – 2005
Initially, the arrangement was that the Community Education Department organised the courses while the Retirement Council recruited participants mainly by making approaches to local employers. The Council also obtained feedback on the courses and provided general support in running them by, for example, obtaining volunteers to act as Course Directors. Gradually, however, the entire responsibility for planning and running the courses was devolved to the Retirement Council while continuing (as it does to this day) to receive much support from Dundee City Council.
In those early days, four to six courses per year were arranged and there were also half-day open forums on individual subjects of interest to retired people. The pre-retirement course consisted of five one day sessions spread over five weeks. As well as the “core” subjects ofadjusting to retirement, health and money matters, topics such as Holiday Travel, Cookery (with practical experience!) Gardening, Visits to the City Library and Dudhope Arts Centre were also included. In 1986, the course was reduced to four days and in 1994 to three days. Since 2001, the pre-retirement course has been a two-day event and a one day mid-life planning course is also arranged. In recent years, the Council has organised from 15 to 17 courses annually.
In March 1988, the idea of a special pre-retirement course for women was discussed at a meeting of women’s organisations held at the University of Dundee and, in May of that year, a one-day course entitled “Do Women Ever Retire?” took place. There is no record that any similar course was arranged again.
In its early days, the Retirement Council moved home a few times before finding its present settled accommodation. Its first abode was at Castle Hill House in the High Street, then in North Isla Street, then Paterson Street and finally to the Mitchell Street Centre in 1989. Here, courtesy of Dundee City Council, the Pre-Retirement Council has two offices (albeit quite small!) for each of its two part-time paid employees as well as the use of meeting rooms, one of which provides an ideal venue for the courses.
For some 12 years the organisation was called the Dundee and District Retirement Council but became the Dundee and District Pre – Retirement Council in 1993. Overtime, increasing numbers of course participantswere coming from the whole of the Tayside region. In 2005, therefore, it was considered appropriate that the name should be changed tothe Tayside Pre-Retirement Council.
The Personnel
Initially, the Office Bearers and members remained the same as those of the Interim Committee. Shortly after, however, Dr Oswald Taylor-Brown succeeded the Very Rev John Rogan as chairman, a position that he held for some 10 years until 1991. He was followed by Lt Col Denis Naulty[Rtd], a Council member since 1988 who, and having been chairman until 1999, was elected Honorary Vice-President in 2000. He has been a regular and active contributor at Meetings of the Council until ill health prevented his attendance only a few months ago. A member of the original Interim Executive Committee, Mr Bob Gilbert, who had been Convener of the Finance Committee since 1981, became Chairman in 1999 until his untimely death in 2001. The then Vice-Chairman, Dr Colin H M Walker, having joined the Council in 1991 and held various offices, became Acting Chairman for several months (Dr Walker is still a very active contributor to the Council as member of the Executive Committee and a regular speaker on health and related subjects). Dr James Urquhart, one of the original members of the Executive Committee who had been variously Vice-Chairman and Treasurer over many years was elected Chairman later in 1991 – a position that he held until 2005.
There then followed Mr James Freeman who will provide the next article!
Notes
The Very Rev John Rogan was Provost of St Paul’s Episcopal Cathedral, Dundee.
Dr Oswald Taylor-Brown was a retired Consultant Physician, Geriatric Medicine, Tayside Health Board.
Lt Col Denis Naulty is a retired Senior Education Officer, the Royal Army Education Corps.
Mr Bob Gilbert was Managing Director, R H Gilbert (Insurance Brokers) Ltd.
Dr Colin H M Walker is a retired Consultant Paediatrician, Tayside Health Board.
Dr James Urquhart is a retired District Medical Officer, Dundee.
Mr James Freeman is a retired Rector, Lawside Academy, Dundee.