Extract from e-mail Robert Newbigging, Canada,
April 2002
"I was
brought up at number 17 Fairbairn Street from 1940 until we moved to East
Kilbride in 1955. It was a real wrench for me. I left all my friends and was dragged
off to EK by my mum.
The headmaster I had at Dalmarnock was Mr Bain. A very elegant
gentleman who spent time instructing me in drawing in his office. He
seemed to appreciate my basic talents, at the time and encouraged me very
strongly, to keep at it, and he was right I then went to John Street from
1952-1955 and had an excellent teacher there (Mr John Smith.who eventually
went to Hutchie to teach art). After that I ended up in an art studio and
went to The Glasgow School of Art (evening classes) for almost 5 years and
am still painting, drawing and anything else that takes my fancy. I've
been in business for 30 years now and I think it is about time to
"just paint" Also, I am very good at it, thanks to
some of the guidance I had when I was quite young.
I married Ellenor in 1963, we had our wedding reception at the
Cambus Court Hotel in Cambuslang. With our two children, Stuart &
Grant we emigrated to Canada
in 1966. We have lived here ever since between Montreal and
Toronto but I do come back every year to see my mum who still lives in EK
aged 88. We live in Oakville, Ontario, Canada.
Our third son, Graham was born in Montreal." |
