Obituary: Bernard Calder, projectionist, 60

Bernard Calder was born in 1950 to Laurence and May Calder, who lived in Edinburgh's Angle Park Terrace. He was one of five children.

The family moved to Oxgangs when he was a child and he attended Oxgangs Primary and later Firrhill Secondary School.

He left school at 15 and soon went to work at the family-run Dominion Cinema in Newbattle Terrace in 1966. He would work there for the rest of his life, giving decades of service and, despite battling illness, worked until just days before his death earlier this month.

He worked for 44 years at the cinema and will be sorely missed by his fellow employees.

Lesley Cameron, director of the Dominion, said: "He was a wonderful, loyal, reliable and dedicated member of the staff. He gave film to literally hundreds of thousands of patrons."

Cinema was Mr Calder's job but also his hobby. He was so content in his work that he never talked about or considered looking for another job.

His sister, Pamela Hendry, said: "He was so happy there so he stayed."

Even outside of work he was passionate about movies and kept an extensive collection of DVDs at home.

Described by colleagues as a professional and hard-working man, Mr Calder was also an avid collector and lover of gadgets which his sister said appealed to his curious and inquisitive nature.

She said: "He had a feel for technology and was always behind the newest gadget."

He also had a passion for travel, with Malta being a favourite destination as well as visiting his brother Laurence in Tenerife twice a year.

Mr Calder never married but remained very close to his family throughout his life. In particular, he was always very involved in the lives of his three nieces and three nephews.

Mrs Hendry said: "He was really loving to them. They grew up with their uncle as part of their lives and they loved him.

"If he could do anything for you, he would. He was a good brother to have."

In 2009, Mr Calder was diagnosed with prostate cancer. He approached his illness with a positive and selfless attitude.

When discovering that his condition was terminal, he took part in numerous medical trials which looked into the effects of cancer in younger sufferers. His sister believed that contributing to the fight against cancer and hopefully making it easier for future generations "really helped keep him going".

He died on January 6 aged 60. His funeral took place on Saturday, January 15, at Mortonhall Crematorium's Pentland Chapel and was attended by many of his friends, relations and co-workers.