Former Sutherland schoolgirl who played a role in Brora’s industrial history dies aged 83
A woman who played a role in Brora’s industrial history as a young schoolgirl in Sutherland has died aged 83.
Marjory Ross had the honour of opening the new Brora Brickworks on November 26, 1954. She was just 13 years old at the time.
She symbolically lit the kilns along with a schoolboy from Caithness to officially open the brickworks.
Brora Brickworks had been closed for many years but was revived in 1954 when the former MP for Caithness and Sutherland, Sir David Robertson, installed new equipment in the works.
Marjory lived in Park Terrace with her parents, Thomas and Hannah Ross, and older brothers George and Hugh.
She trained as a teacher at Aberdeen Teacher Training College, where she met Roy Stephens, who was stationed in the city with the RAF. They married in Dornoch in 1964, and Roy’s first posting after their honeymoon was to Aden.
The couple then moved to Cricklade in Wiltshire where their daughter Rachel was born in 1967, and three years later to Old Woking in Surrey, where their daughter Susan was born in 1970.
The family lived in Kenya, Trinidad, Abu Dhabi, and Brunei, where Marjory taught at various international schools. They returned to the UK in the early 1990s, where she joined a local school in Surrey.
As a family, they returned to Brora every year and enjoyed large family picnics at Loch Brora.
Her daughter Rachel said: “Travel remained important to her, and she particularly loved Italy, but her favourite country has always been her home of Scotland.”
Marjory, who was an avid gardener, badminton player, sewer, and furniture restorer, passed away at St Peter’s Hospital in Surrey on February 13.
Her funeral took place on Monday, March 10, at St Lawrence Church in Chobham, Surrey.
