Iain Alexander Dickson
Farming expert and cancer activist
Born: September 23, 1930;
Died: January 1, 2017
IAIN Alexander Dickson, who has died aged 86, was an expert on farming who moved from Scotland to run the Agricultural Research Centre on the Falkland Islands where he helped local farmers improve the quality of their livestock. As an activist and campaigner, he was also a leading figure in improving prostate cancer care in Scotland.
He was born in Colinton, Edinburgh the eldest son to the late Reverend Jack and Daisy Dickson. The family moved from Edinburgh to Hyndland in Glasgow and during the Second World War, Iain and his younger brother Ken were evacuated away from the city to Cumnock.
After attending schools in Hyndland and Kirkcaldy, Iain studied at Aberdeen University, graduating with a BSc in Agriculture. Following graduation he gained Scottish and national diplomas in dairying at the West of Scotland Agricultural College. This was followed by national service in the RAF, which included being a member of the Mountain Rescue Team in Wales.
His adventures continued when he secured a Kellogg Scholarship to Purdue University in Indiana, USA where he graduated Master of Agriculture in 1959. He focused his career on sheep and hill farming, working with the West of Scotland Agricultural College in Dumfries and Ayrshire as a researcher and college adviser. Following recruitment by the Ministry of Overseas Development from 1968-69 he was part of a small group sent to the Falkland Islands to investigate their sheep and cattle farming.
Returning to the Falklands in 1986, he was employed by the Ministry of Overseas Development to run the Agricultural Research Centre. He was leader of a team of 10 graduates plus technical and administrative support. In 1989 he was employed by the Falkland Islands Government as Senior Agricultural Scientist until he returned to Scotland in 1990.
On his return to Scotland he left agriculture and became branch director of British Red Cross (Forth Valley). Living in the village of Kippen, Stirlingshire he was an active member of the Parish Church, undertaking duties as elder, editor of the Church Newsletter and member of the choir.
In 1995 he was diagnosed with prostate cancer. His response was to volunteer. He became involved in research and clinical trials. As a patient he helped develop the Forth Valley Support Group and establish a trained volunteer presence in prostate cancer clinics in the Forth Valley area.
Being both a patient and collaborator made him an asset to research trials. He developed a knowledge and understanding of prostate cancer which equalled that of many clinicians in the field. His service reached a national level, through his involvement with the Scottish Cancer Coalition and the West of Scotland Cancer Network Urology advisory network. He sat on regional and national advisory boards and networked in local, regional and national circles to advance the prostate cancer cause. He assisted in the development of national quality performance indicators which made Scotland the first country to set a benchmark for the quality of prostate cancer care.
Among others he was also part of the group whose efforts ensured new treatments were made available to patients in Scotland. Patients can now access cryotherapy, advanced radiotherapy techniques, robotic assisted prostatectomy and novel chemotherapies. His activities and efforts earned him an MBE in 2006.
He is survived by his wife Enid, three children and five grandchildren.
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