Page 7 - Staff FocusSeptember 2020

When David arrived at Saughton for months and kept Brian

busy for his early days in
the barbed wire faced inwards... the courts.
But he survived the
experience and began a
career that took him to
Continued from previous page colleagues and contacts – even if you Haddington, Campbeltown,
to spells with the Scottish Office Central Accounts and have to bite your tongue sometimes. Paisley, Edinburgh, Greenock,
Roads departments, the Adverse Weather Section and Because there’s nothing worse than Aberdeen, Peterhead and
then the Planning Appeals section before becoming being in a working environment where Stonehaven sheriff courts as
Stationers Clerk at New St Andrews House. In 1993 he the atmosphere is bad.” well as the Supreme Courts,
joined the Pensions Appeal Tribunal. “We were based in a the Fines Business Unit and
big townhouse in Edinburgh’s West End and there were secondment to HQ.
only 4 of us there. So much of the time I was there on my In the sheriff courts he
own until the cleaner came in at night. I used to have to The morning Brian McBride worked across all areas of
run up and down the stairs answering the door or phones walked out of Hamilton West railway Civil, Criminal, Commissary
or carrying big old-style ledgers and filing cards around.” station on his way to a first day with and administration at various
In 2006 the pensions tribunal moved to George House the Scottish Courts Administration in stages of his career while
with the Mental Health Tribunal when they amalgamated August 1979 he had no idea that it was secondment took him to
with the tribunals service. “We have 4 hearing rooms but the start of a journey that would take national projects with the
5 waiting rooms and we had to go around trying to keep him to Buckingham Palace …. and Police, COPFS, local
the noise down because there was often a cacophony of Santa’s Grotto authorities and the Scottish
voices. We used to pay expenses in cash in those days, so Brian had just finished his degree and Government.
you had to be on your toes because it could often lead to wanted to stay in Scotland so a Civil And along the way came that
arguments. And most of the visitors were World War 2 Service role was attractive. He applied memorable opportunity to
veterans. ”They all had long coats, bunnets and a carrier for three organisations: Museums of visit Buckingham Palace and
bag and there could be 4 or 5 all in at the same time so it Scotland, Registers of Scotland and the meet the Queen.
was a struggle to tell them apart.” Scottish Courts in that order – and Brian McBride: Career spanning many courts “My best memory of my
David stayed with the tribunal until his retirement and naturally the Civil Service reversed his time with SCTS has to be the
has lots of good memories of his years at work. ”I have preferences as it was the SCA that became his career. time when I and other members of the Courts Unification
met lots of great people and really enjoyed my time. I’m Having walked in the door at Almada Street, Hamilton, team met Her Majesty the Queen at Buckingham Palace,”
the only survivor from the 2006 move and I remember a Brian was given a tour, interviewed by the Sheriff Clerk said Brian.
colleague retiring when I was in the Stationers Office after and then told to sign the Official Secrets Act, before being “We flew down to London, stayed at a hotel in central
45 years in work and someone said: ‘That will never be introduced to his first Official Secrets in the form of the London overnight, went to Buckingham Palace for the
equalled’. But I’ve managed it.” Licence to Come book, a huge old ledger which recorded formal awards ceremony, drank champagne with Her and
And David has a simple suggestion of how to get the all drivers who had either pled guilty in court to, or been Prince Philip who mingled and chatted with all of the
best out of work. ”I’ve always tried to get on with people, convicted of, a road traffic offence. It hadn’t been updated