Page 5 - Staff FocusSeptember 2020

‘It has been like being part of a family for 41 years’

Continued from previous page For Dorothy
summit in the Caribbean to issue the immortal faux pas Finlay who
“Crisis, what crisis?” when asked about the strikes. has also
For Campbell the 9th of January marked his first day in completed 41
Dumbarton Sheriff Court, having moved from a council years’ service,
job creation scheme where he started in 1976. “I saw that the chance to
they were having a Civil Service recruitment campaign move around
and I was hoping to get into Faslane Naval base with my the courts
mates, but I got offered the Scottish Courts Administration and meet
instead and having never been in a court thought that a widely
sounds interesting.” differing
His first job was in Summary Cause, carrying around the group of
huge old-fashioned registers that were then used, He people
moved on to roles at Greenock, Dornoch and Dumfries during her
Sheriff Courts until 1999 when he moved into IT, initially career has been at the
to help with the CMS project. “I left for 19 months and Ribbons and bowing out: Dorothy Finlay says farewell to the courts centre of her enjoyment of the job.
was there for 21 years,” said Campbell, “first of all with Like many, Dorothy came into the court
CMS then the CMS Helpdesk, IT Helpdesk, and finally accused brought back and said, ‘Don’t ever call me wee!!’ service via other public sector work, in her case from
Infrastructure where I got involved in the BlackBerry And there was the time during a summer jury trial that Renfrewshire council. “I had been working for 13 months
phone refresh.” the witness was asked to identify the accused and she in the Clydesdale Bank – which I hated. And on 2 July
Over his 41 years in the service, there are only 10 courts said, ‘That’s him next to the policeman who’s asleep’.” 1979 I started with the Renfrew District Court.” Dorothy
that Campbell hasn’t worked in and the variety and Now Campbell is planning to take the opportunity having had been offered jobs with the Electricity Board and the
opportunity to change course that his career has offered more time of his own to brush up on his guitar skills and district court and chose the court where she remained for
have been very satisfying. “The wide variety of interesting catch up on all those little jobs around the house that 18 and half years.
She then moved to East Renfrewshire District Court where
jobs that we have, and the ability to work in different there never seems time to do. “It has been great working she worked for 12 and a half years before joining Paisley
courts on relief or in my case the ability to change career with all the friendly staff that I’ve encountered over the Sheriff Court as part of the merger with the court service
from a Court Clerk to an IT Technician, has been great,” years, including members of the Judiciary – it has been which then became the SCS then SCTS. Paisley was the
said Campbell. like being part of a family,” said Campbell. “Because of starting point for a role that gave her the opportunity to
There have been lots of great memories too, mostly while lockdown I was not able to have night out with the move far and wide across a variety of courts. “I worked
clerking Courts. “One of the funny ones was when a many people that I worked with over the years but I’ll be primarily in Criminal then moved to Civil at Paisley,” said
Greenock Sheriff sentenced an accused to 6 months arranging something when it is.” Dorothy. “An opportunity came up for a relief officer and I
imprisonment and the accused turned to the Sheriff and jumped at the chance which allowed me to work at
called him a ‘Wee b###rd’. The Sheriff ordered the