Reginald Price, or Reg as he is called by his pals has seen a few ports in his 66 years. He was a lad from West Barnes, near Dunbar. He fished for many years out of Peterhead with the Moody family, from Longniddry near Port Seton. He was what they then called a “relief man”, but in his words, he was never idle. Reg settled in Eyemouth in his later years and has been retired for the last 12-13 years because of ill health. His last fishing job was at Blyth on the Dreamfinder. He always talks nostalgically about his fishing days, but is also quite realistic about the desperate conditions of working at sea.
I have been visiting Reg since my appointment as Mission Area Officer of SE Scotland in early 2016. Reg immediately struck me as a fiercely independent man and asks nothing from anyone. I used to visit him and check that he was okay, listening to the “maritime mayhem” he used to be involved in the pubs and dance halls of Eyemouth. These days Reg is happy to devour a bunch of books from the local library or watch the discovery channel. On sunny days, we often meet outside the library amongst the flowers, which has become of a bit of a community garden, tended by Reg and the locals. Reg and I “do our welfare business” in the sun, where I make regular phone calls on his behalf to the DWP, or the local council, or social work.
Reg makes me laugh when he talks about the good auld days when he was a raucous lad, when he’s such a placid soul now, held back by a long list of health problems. These include prostate cancer, eye cancer and serious circulatory problems. They all add up to a lot of pain and daily discomfort, but I have not come across a more cheerful fellow on my travels! I have accompanied Reg to the GP surgery to help him try to understand the complexity of his health issues, which lead to my helping him secure the higher rate of Attendance Allowance which helps with personal care because of physical disabilities.
It really is a pleasure to help him, he is a humble soul. He simply is an inspiration to me and I am privileged to serve Reg and his like in Eyemouth and all the ports I visit from Seahouses to Port Seton
Superintendent Claire McIntosh
