Obituary: Alan Airs, former banker, 56

Tributes have been paid to banker and rugby devotee Alan Airs, who has died after a long illness, aged 56, writes Stuart Bathgate.

Alan was a dedicated servant of Currie Rugby Club for all of his adult life.

When the club was founded in 1970 he joined as a teenage winger, and in later years moved on to refereeing.

It was as team manager, however, that he became best known, holding the voluntary post until shortly before his death.

An accomplished administrator, he was a banker by profession. He worked for the Bank of Scotland for 36 years, and was associate director in corporate banking before taking early retirement.

After his playing days were over, he found that the organisational skills he had learned with the bank could be put to good use at Malleny Park. He played a crucial role in the rise of Currie from the lowest rung of the Scottish leagues to Division One.

Currie head coach Alan Donaldson said: "Alan was at the club for all the club's life and for all of his own adult life. He was a meticulous planner and organiser, and a very popular figure who was liked and respected by all of the players.

"He was simply a good club man - the kind of person every club needs to make sure it runs smoothly.

"Even when he became ill, he came to as many matches as possible. Just days before he died he was talking about coming back for a forthcoming match.

"His death has hit everyone hard."

The culmination of Alan's work at Currie and of the club's remarkable rise came last year.

Having been contenders for the title from time to time over the preceding decade or so, the team at last won the Scottish Championship.

He would have been the first to say that the credit should go to the players, but the reality is that no matter how talented those players may be, no rugby club would last for long without the hard work of its volunteers.

"A tragedy such as the loss of Alan hits home even harder at a relatively young club like ours," Currie captain Andy Adam said. "Alan's passing deeply affected our dressing room."

As the club's director of rugby, Iain Russell was best placed to appreciate the work, unseen to most, which Alan put in week after week, season after season.

"Alan was a meticulous organiser who, even when ill, would watch DVDs of matches and take pride in the way Currie were turned out," he said.

There will be a minute's applause in memory of Alan at Currie's next home game, against Aberdeen Grammar School FP on Saturday.

Alan died on February 18.

He is survived by his wife, Lesley, and his two stepsons, Stewart and Kevin.

His funeral was held at Mortonhall Crematorium on Friday.