SANDY WRIGHT, a former general manager of Aberdeen and Northern Marts, who played a key role in the development of Thainstone Centre, has died at the age of 84.

A native of Maud, where his mother ran a general store opposite the old county mart, Mr Wright joined the mart staff at Maud on leaving school and worked for the company for most of his working life, apart from a three-year spell as an auctioneer with Hays Auctioneers in Perth.

He was appointed office manager at the Kittybrewster mart in Aberdeen in 1975 and was part of the management team which implemented a major rationalisation programme which resulted in the closure of many country marts and the building of the £6 million Thainstone Centre which was described when opened in January, 1990, as the most modern mart in Europe.

Mr Wright’s main focus following his retirement in the late 1990s was bowling and he served as president of both Seafield Bowling Club and Aberdeen Indoor Bowling Club, where he was match secretary for many years and took particular pleasure in encouraging new bowlers with coaching sessions for novice bowlers on a Sunday afternoon.

Before moving to Aberdeen, he was closely involved in the running of Maud football club, which at the time was one of the top amateur clubs in the North-east, reaching the semi-finals of the Scottish amateur cup in 1970.

Mr Wright lived at Kingswells and was predeceased by his wife, Eveline, in 1991. He is survived by his son, David, and daughter, Sandra, daughter-in-law, Jackie, son-in-law, Andy, five grandchildren and one great grandson.

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