Award recognises Rhee's devotion to pet subject

RHEE Forbes, a typist who dedicated four decades of her working life to a science laboratory in Midlothian has been handed a prestigious award for her long service.

Mrs Forbes, 63, retired last summer, but returned to her former workplace recently to collect her accolade.

The Imperial Service Medal for long service had to be signed off by Her Majesty The Queen, and was an honour which Mrs Forbes said made her feel valued by the Lasswade Veterinary Laboratory, which she joined in 1969.

Over the years her workload increased and machinery changed as the company's work developed.

She said: "It's been a really exciting field to work in. New cures for animals were always being looked for and a lot of things were going on.

"But above all the people were nice, they were more than just colleagues, they were friends as well, and it made working there easy."

The Bonnyrigg mother-of-one admitted the shift towards the digital age wasn't always easy, but she appreciated its values.

"When I started out it was on a manual typewriter - that taught you how to touch-type and, of course, if you made a mistake, that was you. With PCs that became a lot easier, they were like magic.

"It took a bit of getting used to when you were familiar with typewriters, but once you got to grips, it was okay."

Her former colleagues have paid tribute to her attitude in the workplace in a career which saw her start out at small premises in Eskgrove, eventually moving to the Pentlands Science Park. They said she "continually managed to turn out daily reports on time" and "approached her daily workload with a smile for everybody".

They added that she was "always the first" to volunteer at fellow staff members' celebrations, such as birthdays or retirements.

She delayed her retirement by two years so she could coincide the beginning of her new chapter with husband John.

Asked what she planned to do with her retirement, she said the couple would be keeping active.

"We do a lot of walking, about two hours a day, with our dog Polly," she said.

"I do a lot of keep-fit classes too, three a week, so I've got plenty to do."

The couple also take regular trips to Callander, where her sister has a caravan, and they can expand their walking hobby by the hills of Midlothian.