Mrs Norah Dunn, nee Wilson Born: December 6, 1913 DIED: March 31, 2015 A HELENSBURGH Scottish Country Dancing stalwart who was a close acquaintance of the Logie Baird family has passed away aged 101.

Norah, daughter of Robert Wilson and Agnes Bonnar, was born and, with her sister Kathleen, brought up in Helensburgh, and like four generations of her family attended St Columba Church.

Her grandfather, James Dick Bonnar was session clerk of St Columba Church and also Provost of Helensburgh for the duration of the First World War, from 1912 – 1918.

Norah’s family lived in W Argyll Street, across the street from the Logie Baird family and next door to the entertainer Jack Buchanan’s family, and would visit him at his stage shows in Glasgow, a terrific thrill for a young girl interested in dance.

Norah came through the guides and became a Guider, training Ranger Guides to act as Messengers during the war years. She followed her aunts, Florence and Helen Bonnar into membership of the Red Cross.

Educated at St Brides School, Helensburgh Norah then trained at Dunfermline College of Education, achieving degrees in Physiotherapy and Physical Education, including a qualification to teach Scottish Country Dance with the recently formed Scottish Country Dance Society.

Her future husband, Scott Dunn, a partner in his father’s Accountancy firm in Glasgow lived in Helensburgh and eventually opened a branch office in Sinclair Street Helensburgh. They married in 1936 and had two children, Iain and Rhona.

Norah was active in many aspects of Helensburgh life, especially the church and Scottish dancing, and it was in Scottish dance that she was best known.

As a qualified dance teacher Norah taught various classes in the Helensburgh area. She started children’s classes in 1943 which are still active today and wrote a book, Catch ‘em Young on the elements of teaching young children to dance.

During the war the local Branch of the Scottish Dance Society had lapsed and Norah, with Mrs Cath Twigg and Mr John Blain, was instrumental in having the Branch reformed in 1952. She was appointed Hon President in 1968, an office she held till her passing.

As a dance teacher she travelled the UK teaching at day and weekend schools and also at the society summer school in St Andrews. As an examiner for the society, in addition to UK examinations, she did two examination tours in the 1990s to Canada and America, a tour lasting up to six weeks. In 1986 Norah was awarded the society’s highest award, the Scroll Of Honour. She has a number of dances named after her, A Jig For Mrs Dunn, devised by the children in her children’s class when she was leaving Helensburgh in 1975 and published by the society in 1981 in their book Scottish Country Dances for Children. For her 100th Birthday the Helensburgh Branch presented her with a dance Our Leading Lady, devised by Mrs Anne Thorn.

The family interred Norah in Helensburgh Cemetery on Friday, May 22, the 100th Anniversary of the death of her uncle, the son of Provost James Bonnar, Lt James Bonnar, 2nd Battalion, Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, killed in the Quintinshill Rail Disaster as he returned home on leave.

Until the end Norah was a dedicated mother, grandmother, dance teacher, an active Hon. President of RSCDS Helensburgh Branch and an inspiration to all. She will be sorely missed.