Murray Mowat - In Memoriam

Murray Mowat passed away at home on Saturday 6th October in the presence of his devoted wife Trixie and medical support team after a sudden but not unexpected heart attack. Murray's death followed a long period of ill health caused by post operative infection after heart surgery. He is deeply mourned by his children Lindsey, Grant, Gairn, his 7 grandchildren, and friends at home and around the world in rugby, rallying and insurance circles. At Murray's request his cremation on Tuesday 16th October at the Moray Crematorium will be a private family affair.

Murray was born in Aberdeen and after attending Roger Gordon's College began his career as an insurance broker with Norwich Union in Dar es Salaam in 1960, moving in 1964 to Nairobi where he joined J.H. Minets. He lived in Kenya until 1984 when he returned to Scotland to run his own business as Murray Agencies. During his twenty year residence in Kenya, Murray was an ardent supporter of Nondescripts RFC and for several years was Chairman of the East African Motor Sports Club. He drove in several East African Safari rallies and was lucky to survive a serious accident in 1969 when the steering wheel became detached on a high speed section of the route. The car ended up in a ditch with Murray waving the wheel above his head, much to the consternation his co-driver. Fortunately, the accident occurred close to a bar - and bars were not common in the Kenyan bush.

Murray joined Wanderers in the mid eighties, renewing his friendship with Denis Martin who he first met when Malawi toured Kenya in 1970 with Denis as a referee (which accounts for his whistling behind the bar). He soon attracted other former residents of East and Central Africa to join Wanderers and became their Edinburgh organiser for international games. A very sociable and likeable man, Murray was a regular visitor to the West Car Park at Twickenham too where he would enjoy hospitality with friends from around the world under the Nondescripts flag before ending the evening with a fiery curry. We plan to arrange a celebration of his life in May 2013 at Murray's favourite southern diner, the Brilliant Curry House in Southall.

JT & MW