Obituary: Fred Bull; artist and former teacher visited 30 different towns called Aberdeen all over the world

Tales of far-off lands and a nagging restlessness, so often a feature of life in seafaring communities, combined to ignite the wanderlust in Fred Bull.

As a youngster in Aberdeen his interest in the huge world outside the Granite City was fuelled by family and neighbours’ stories of adventures at sea, whaling in the South Atlantic and places far beyond his imagination.

Little did he know it then but they, along with his inquisitive nature, would help to inspire to his own incredible odyssey half a century later.

In retirement, aware that many Aberdonians had forged new lives in various corners of the world and curious to discover how many Aberdeens there might be around the globe, he embarked on a mission to record them. It became something of an obsession and ended up taking him on a journey of almost 96,000 miles as he visited around 30 of the 34 communities that bear the “mother” city’s name.

A book and video followed and, even at 75, he still had not finished – remaining determined to bag one of the Aberdeens that, as a result of a West African civil war, had defeated him earlier.

He belonged to a family with a rich seafaring heritage and was the grandson of a fisherman from Aberdeen’s historic village of Footdee, otherwise known as Fittie. But he followed in the footsteps of his own father, a technical studies teacher.

Born in Aberdeen’s Smithfield Road, he went to the local primary and then Aberdeen Grammar School, before studying at the city’s Gray’s School of Art.

After graduating in 1959 he became a teacher, taking a post at Dunfermline Academy for three years before returning to Aberdeen, where he taught art at various schools including Northfield Academy.

In the mid-1960s he moved to Troon, where he was a lecturer in art at Craigie Teacher Training College, becoming faculty head in the 1970s. During his time there he was also involved in planning and drafting the government’s 5-14 Curriculum for art.

He particularly loved teaching younger children but his enthusiasm for engendering a shared excitement about art was also hugely appreciated by his older students, his signature style in the classroom being approachable, friendly and generous, always sharing the whole learning experience with his pupils.

Taking early retirement at 55 allowed him to move back to his roots – not to the city but to the village of Logie Coldstone in rural Aberdeenshire.

As a landscape artist he loved the hills, which he often walked, and from his porch had views of Morven and Lochnagar. Once he had retired, the idea was to get back to the easel but he soon found his thoughts turning to places much further afield as he began researching the numerous Aberdeens across the globe.

Aberdeen City Council had a mailing list of eight. After four years of detective work Bull had found another nine. By the time he set off on his epic trip, his many library visits, much scrutiny of atlases, road maps, international directories, press cuttings and his internet research yielded more than 30.

He corresponded with mayors, tourism officers, museum directors, journalists and, as he put it, “enthusiastic citizens” from around the world. Sometimes he was overwhelmed with material they sent him, including photographs, maps, brochures, postcards and even books recording illustrated histories of the communities.

Many of the other Aberdeens are in the United States and Canada but around a dozen are spread from the Caribbean to Africa, Hong Kong, Australia and the Bay of Bengal.

Bull formed a small film company, Rowan Films, and along with the help of professional film-maker Alan White, began his global production, visiting and filming as many Aberdeens as possible.

In 2001, over 16 weeks, they covered around 30 Aberdeens and 95,400 miles but were prevented from visiting Sierra Leone due to a civil war in the country. His book Aberdeens Around The World was published later that year. An ebullient and sociable man, back home he gave numerous talks on his travels to local groups and historical societies.

Latterly his interest in history focused on a Victorian well he discovered close to Logie Coldstone. Known as Wells of Poldhu, the ancient spring was once a popular attraction, with the water believed to have curative properties. He contacted various historical and archaeological organisations and community groups, cajoling them to back its restoration and, as a result, was instrumental in having the overgrown, forgotten well renovated and a bridge built.

It was his innate enthusiasm, curiosity and lust for life that defined Bull, who remained active and interested in everything. Only recently, he said, despite his achievements, he still had much to do, including making plans to visit the Aberdeen in Sierra Leone that had eluded him.

He is survived by his wife Margaret, sons Stuart and Lindsay, daughters-in-law Laura and Pamela and granddaughters Kirsty, Rowan and Fiona.

ALISON SHAW