Long service award is Joan's well-earned gift

Published on Thursday 23 July 2009 11:10

A woman who has dedicated her professional career to helping young people and teenagers in the Capital is to be honoured.

Joan Melville will be presented with a long service award for her unstinting service to Edinburgh Council's health and social care department.

Originally from Bearsden in Glasgow, Joan moved with her two sisters, Alison and Sarah, and her brother, Alan, to Kirkcaldy when she was 11 when her father, Frank, became manager of the Methil power station. She lived there until the age of 18 when she went to Glasgow University to study communications.

On completing her studies, she moved to Edinburgh to work at the Greendykes Childen's Home in 1979.

This proved the beginning of a long and rewarding career dedicated to improving the living conditions of young people from troubled backgrounds.

During Joan's time as a residential care officer she met hundreds of children and her experiences continue to inspire her. She said: "I do think about those kids a lot, many of them will be adults now and it's good to know that I played some small part in that."

In 1988, Joan began work at the former Niddrie Family Resource Centre where she joined in a programme of outreach and assistance to the local community.

Young people in Niddrie could rely on Joan for anything from an after-school meal to a place to stay if things became too much for them at home. She regrets that the centre is no longer there.

Her next position was as a member of a social practice team for children with disabilities. This proved to be an eye opener for Joan, who observed the poor standards of integration of young disabled people at the time. She is happy to say this has improved over the years.

She said: "It's been fantastic to see how services have developed. These kids are now very much in the community, out and about and doing what they can for it."

In 1986, Joan found time to start a family of her own when she married Gordon, and in 1988 they had a son, Lewis, followed two years later by a daughter, Eilidh.

Joan said she is proud of her close-knit family, who, taking a cue from her, are all on socially conscious paths.

Eilidh has just returned from Durban in South Africa where she helped bring aid to street children and Lewis is a student of sustainable environmental management. Husband Gordon coaches girls' football in his spare time.

Joan is currently head of the council's transition team which is aimed at helping people with learning difficulties aged 14 to 20 to find a place in the community after leaving school.

She is pleased to see her specialist team steadily growing as they look forward to welcoming a new member with expertise in high functioning autism.

Joan, who until recently lived in Bruntsfield, will be presented with her long service award for 30 years alongside other dedicated colleagues at a special event on 29 July.

She is grateful for the recognition of the long service award but her highest praise is for her team.

She said: "I really enjoy this job. It is a privilege to work with people who are on the same page and is an inspiration to go to work."