A former employee of Dundee media company, DC Thomson, took a very special trip down memory lane with a visit to her old office.
Moira Stewart was a balloonist – adding the text to the speech balloons – in the art department at DC Thomson’s iconic Meadowside building for 33 years before retiring in 2006. Now a resident at Balhousie Brookfield in Carnoustie, Moira was delighted to be invited back to reminisce about her time working there.
The team at DC Thomson warmly welcomed Moira, along with Brookfield Activities Coordinator Jennifer McKeown, to their DCTea, an event for retired employees to come back for a cuppa, cake and a catch up with former colleagues.
Moira had the opportunity to look at some of the comics she worked on over the years, including Bunty, Judy and Victor. She even critiqued the comic strips, sharing lots of insights about the creative work she did on the various children’s publications.
Moira is diagnosed with dementia, but had no hesitation in recalling many memories from her time at DC Thomson and was delighted to recognise Mr. Murray Thomson, a former company director and member of the Thomson family, whom she remembered vividly from her time at the Meadowside building. Moira said:
“I worked on the 9th floor for many years. The building has changed a lot since then and there’s lots of new faces, but I remember, clearly, the comics I worked on for all those years.”
Moira’s visit is part of an initiative from Balhousie Brookfield to offer their residents a Nostalgia Day, and part of this will be to revisit their careers and jobs. Jennifer said:
“It has been such a fantastic day out for Moira visiting her old work at DC Thomson. Seeing the old annuals and comics she worked on brought back many memories of her days working there. Seeing Moira remember and reminisce is what our Nostalgia Days are all about and was lovely to see. Being back in the surroundings of their working life can make a visible difference to our resident’s energy and speed of recall, which is especially valuable for those living with a dementia diagnosis.”
The DCTea events run monthly through the winter at DC Thomson and are well subscribed to with dozens of former staff, like Moira, coming along.
Alex Cuthbertson, Chief Pensions Officer, said:
“Our DCTea Pensioner events are a lovely way of celebrating our former colleagues and giving them the chance to reminisce with familiar faces, while looking over some of our Archive materials and enjoying a cup of tea and cake. It’s a great opportunity to hear some wonderful memories and stories from years gone by, and for people to meet others who they perhaps haven’t seen for decades – a real social event in the calendar!”
