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Dundonian Liz Martin is getting ready for her second Memory Walk in memory of her beloved Dad, Andrew ‘Andy’ Johnstone – a well-known face around the city – who died with dementia in May 2022.
By Liz Malcolm-Martin
“He was a Dundee boy through and through. Born and raised in the Hilltown, worked in the jute mills, took my mum to the Palais and the La Scala when they were courting. Lifelong fan of Dundee FC. Loved Doris Day and Al Jolson – he sang Al Jolson right up to his last days in the hospital. He forgot so much, but he never forgot those songs.”
In 2022, Liz created a Memory Walk route which included special places in her dad’s life and chose a very important date in September.
“We chose to walk on the first anniversary of my twin Bab’s death, she died in 2021. It was a tough day, but there was happiness with the sadness, and it was lovely to get the chance to remember them both. I did the walk with my older sister Linda, my partner Shona and my wee dog Peanut. Bab’s son Andrew met us at the start, then halfway through my daughter Vicki and grandson Sonny joined us. We were proud walking through the town in our Memory Walk t-shirts and Peanut had his doggy Memory walk bandana!
“Our route began where my dad was born in Dundee and followed a special route of places where we’d scattered my dad’s ashes a few months before. We went to my dad’s local Caffé Nero in the Ferry, where he went almost every day. The staff there were great with him, he got company and comfort from them. It was a heart-breaking journey, but one I was so proud to walk. My big sis Joan in Australia was able to sync her timings to walk a few miles with us. This was beautiful, as she could visit my dad's favourite places over there where she and her family scattered some of our dad’s ashes.”
Liz has pledged to take part in Scotland’s Memory Walk in 2023 along with her family to commemorate Andy and share stories of his life.
“My dad loved people and people loved my dad. He’d talk to anyone. A real gentleman – funny, cheerful and kind. A real son of the ‘toon.”
Sign up for this year's Memory Walk here.
