Leaving footprints in the sand!

A couple of weeks ago there was an announcement in the B/D/M column of 'The Scotsman'. It simply stated that Grace Doull had died peacefully in an Edinburgh Nursing Home. Subsequent to that notice an acknowledgement was posted in the same newspaper, thanking various people for their kindness towards Grace during her final years. Both the announcement and the acknowledgement simply stated the obvious or did it?

To many people, when they read such material will just see what it says no more no less, to the Campbell family formerly of the Canongate, Edinburgh, the notice evokes memories which go back at least three generations. Grace Doull had an influence on my parents, she was a Girl Guide officer who took an interest in my Mother in the 1930's, as a nursery school teacher, she cared for my brothers, Billy, James during the early 1940's and after the war my sister Helen and myself up until the early 1950's. In the 1960's and 1970s the next generation of Campbell's were cared for by 'Miss Doull'.

I cannot speak for my brother or sister but I am sure they would agree with me that Grace Doull left the gentle touch of her way of life with us.

Over the years I was able to meet her, and regardless of where it was, she always remembered my name, and asked after my mother, brother and sister without hesitation. I worked for many years as a taxi driver and picked her up on occasion from the Cameron Toll Shopping centre. We chatted about the days I spent at the Cowgate Nursery School, the conversations were never long - however, they were always memorable and it was my privilege to take care of her.

Grace Doull left an indelible imprint on my life and probably my story could be rehearsed by thousands of others who have come under her influence. A simple announcement it may have been but her life means far more than can be recounted in any obituary.

The phrase . . . 'They broke the mould, when . . .!' could have been quoted just for her. She is one of a kind. A Southside Lady who will not be forgotten by at least one Southside Laddie.