McDowall celebrates Queens 90th

Mar 20 2009 by Jackie Grant, Dumfries Standard Friday

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A LIFELONG Queen of the South fan, Ian McDowall, has witnessed the club experience its fair share of highs and lows over the years – and hopes he is around to see many more.

Ian will be joining in the celebrations to mark Queens’ 90th anniversary this weekend, and pictures taken on the day will join the vast and unique collection of memorabilia he already owns, and will never part with.

On March 21, 1919, just a few short months after the end of the First World War, Dumfries Town Hall was packed for an important meeting. The footballing fraternity were keen to see a senior club established for Dumfries and Maxwelltown. It was unanimously agreed that a club should be formed and a large majority went for the name Queen of the South.

Ian started going to Palmerston as a schoolboy in 1945 with his mum, dad and uncles. He recalls: “All the youngsters sat along the barriers at Palmerston. It was a cinder track along the pitch then and there were big crowds in those days.

“Teams like Dumbarton and Albion Rovers were in the First Division then because every player got a basic wage no matter who they played for, and these teams came to Palmerston.”

Now aged 74, Ian believes the club’s success in the last decade is thanks to chairmen Norman Blount, Ronnie Bradford and Davie Rae.

“They have really put Queens on the map and are Queen of the South men who have put their money where their mouths are.

“Dumfries should be proud of what Queens have achieved with limited funds and that comes down to good chairmen.”

Ian could also be described as a Queen of the South man. To mark the clubs 80th birthday, he compiled a book of over 200 high-quality pictures of Queen of the South, providing a fascinating insight into the history of the team.

He described the book as an “essential item for Doonhamers’ fans of all generations” and a source of nostalgia for older supporters.

Over the years, Ian has been an avid collector of anything Queens, and says he will never part with his collection of memorabilia – despite wife Hilda complaining about the space it takes up in their Locharbriggs home!

He said: “Over the years, I kept chopping and changing what I collected, but I always held on to anything I had to do with Queens and I now have thousands of football cards, hundreds of pictures and other items of memorabilia.

“I wish Queens many more years of success, and hope I’m around to see the 100th anniversary celebrations in 10 years.”