Four Decade Association with Loch Katrine Celebrated

Milestone for Managing Director of Steamship Sir Walter Scott

Staff and trustees of Steamship Sir Walter Scott have paid tribute to Managing Director Gordon Allan, who is celebrating a four-decade association with Loch Katrine. 

In 1984 Gordon accepted a three-year contract to work at Stronachlachar. His then-boss, Tommy Grant, said if he stayed a year, it would be a forever part of his life. Despite Gordon having other ideas at the time, Tommy was correct, and 40 years later, he is still heavily involved in the management of the Steamship and related visitor facilities.

Gordon had started as a maintenance electrician for Glasgow Corporation who were responsible the water complex at Loch Katrine which provides the main water supply to Glasgow and transferred to Strathclyde Regional Council, West of Scotland and then Scottish Water who subsequently took on responsibility for Loch Katrine. He received several promotions in quick succession associated with the Loch Katrine water complex.

Gordon was always interested in boats, something he inherited from his father and, he became more involved with looking after the Steamship Sir Walter Scott in his role as Special Projects Manager with the water authorities who owned and operated her.  

Despite celebrations for Steamship Sir Walter Scott's 100 years of service in 2000, she was soon destined to be scrapped, resulting from a policy to remove non-core items from water companies' ownership before consolidation into Scottish Water in 2005.

Through a mutual friend of Gordon's, Sir William McAlpine, a steam enthusiast and successful businessman, learned the steamer’s fate and stepped in to help transfer her into the safer ownership of a charitable trust. 

Professor Paul Jowitt, Chair of Steamship Sir Walter Scott Trust, paid a warm tribute to Gordon's 40 years at Loch Katrine. He said:

"We were delighted to mark Gordon’s 40 years of service as he has made an enormous contribution to ensuring the historic Steamship can continued to be enjoyed by the general public. He has played an important role, along with Trustees and others, saving the Steamship from potentially being scrapped and leading the restoration work on two occasions We are grateful for his dedication to Loch Katrine over the last four decades."

Reflecting on his long association at Loch Katrine, Gordon said, "I'm so glad we secured a positive future for this wonderful Steamship. On a personal point, it has been a great place to bring up a family, and I'd do it all again in a heartbeat!"