Tributes have been paid to a well-known and well-respected expert on the work of Robert Burns.
John Inglis sadly passed away at his Irvine home on Monday. He was 90.
Born in New Cumnock in 1932, John came to love and enjoy the works of Burns from an early age.
And he was later in great demand over the years as a speaker, particularly when proposing “The Immortal Memory” at which he excelled, and as a reader of Burns’s poetry like “The Cotter’s Saturday Night” and “Lament for James. Earl of Glencairn”.
Audiences fondly remember John’s recitals being delivered with “sincerity, reverence and feeling.”
Initially, on leaving school, he worked in the local pits for two years and was involved in rescuing 116 out of a total of 129 trapped miners over several days at what be came known as The Knockshinnoch Disaster in September 1950.
Shortly afterwards, John joined The Scots Guards as part of his National Service and, on being demobbed, joined what was then The Ayrshire Constabulary- but which later became Strathclyde Police.
He gave 31 years of service to the Police Force during which he rose to the rank of Detective Chief inspector.
While by his own admission, he was comparatively late in becoming involved with Burns Clubs, it was not unexpected that someone with such a deep knowledge of Burns and his works would become President of The Irvine Burns Club and John filled that post in 1977-78, following Bill Cowan into the presidential chair.
As ever, John devoted his energies to promoting Burns and The Irvine Burns Club and he was heavily involved in bringing the Burns Federation Conference to Irvine in 1981.
John may have been late in becoming involved formally with “the Burns Movement” but in quick succession after Irvine, he became President of the Ayrshire Association (in 1979-81) and of the World Burns Federation in 1984-85.
He also acted for many years as unpaid honorary secretary of The Burns Federation, based at The Dick Institute, Kilmarnock, where his sound common sense was “much valued.”
A knowledgeable guide, John was happy to welcome many visitors to Wellwood from around the world and that devotion to Wellwood was recognised in January 1997 when the then President Duncan Rennie made him an Honorary Member of The Irvine Burns Club.
In his acceptance letter, John said he was “flattered” with the honour.
Margaret Greenlees, the current President of the Irvine Burns Club said: “John was an inspirational devotee of Robert Burns and his works and he freely gave of his time and talents to introduce others to the Ayrshire poet.
“As a reader, he made the words and verses of Burns come alive and that was a great talent that he selflessly shared with so many in different parts of the world.
“Our thoughts are with his wife, Margaret and his family Iain and Elaine, each of whom will have their own memories of this ‘social friendly honest man’ who touched so many lives along the way.”
Mr Inglis’ funeral will be at Holmsford Bridge Crematorium, Dreghorn, on Monday, July 25 at 3.30pm.
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