Obituary: Fife man lived life of adventure

Aremarkable Fifer has died at the age of 97 after an extraordinary life in the UK and overseas. Harry Matheson was a tropical agriculture adviser and all-round sportsman, whose career took him around the world and who was still winning golf trophies in his late 70s.

The father of five died peacefully at home in St Andrews where he se ttled af ter spending decades living in various parts of the world.

He began academic life at the Burgh School, St Andrews, before moving on to the town’s Madras College where he excelled both academically and in sports.

A spell at St Andrews University was followed by studies at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, to study tropical agriculture.

The practical side of the course was based in Tr i n i d a d and after completing his diploma, he returned to Tilbury Docks in Essex in 1948 aboard the Empire Windrush on its famous first voyage.

He was then given a post in what was Malaya, where he was joined in 1950 by Catherine who moved from St Monans to get married in Kuala Lumpur.

In October 1951, as part of his work as an agricultural officer, Mr Matheson drove along Fraser’s Hill where, later that day, the British high commissioner Sir Henry Gurney was ambushed and assassinated by members of the Ma l ay s i a n Communist Party.

It was said the attack was purely random and could have involved any passing car.

Mr and Mrs Matheson returned to the UK in 1960, three years after Malaya gained independence, and h e w o r ke d briefly for Scottish Agricultural

Industries and then as a science teacher at Bell Baxter High School in Cupar.

He returned to tropical agriculture in 1967, moving to British Honduras to run Central Fa r m before postings to Lesotho, We s t e r n Samoa and Indonesia, working with the Food and Agriculture Organisation, Un i t e d Na t i o n s Development Programme and the World Bank in Washington DC.

Despite his busy life, Mr Ma t h e s o n ’ s sporting prowess was always to the fore from a young age and he excelled in r u g b y, cricket, football and golf.

He captained the rugby and cricket teams at Ma d r a s and won the St Andrews Boys Golf Championship a record three times. His wife was captain of the St Rule and St Regulus ladies golf clubs in St Andrews.

The couple enjoyed a world tour to see all the children and grandchildren on her 80th birthday.

There are five children, 14 grandchildren, one stepgrandson and 10 great-grandchildren.

LOCAL LEGEND: Harry Matheson enjoyed playing many sports, and excelled at golf.

Harry Matheson died at 97.