SCOTLAND'S oldest person has recorded her life story to help document the underreported life and contributions of women in rural towns and villages.
Marion Dawson (below), aged 111, has provided an oral history account to the Scottish Women's Institutes (SWI) about her memories of both world wars, competitions, learning and skills sharing.
When asked about the importance of preserving the SWI’s heritage, Dawson said: “It's important, so you can remember it!”
Dawson, a member of the SWI's Houston and Crosslee Institute, currently lives in Bridge of Weir in Renfrewshire, and celebrated her 111th birthday in January.
She received the Covid-19 vaccine in 2021 on her 108th birthday, and said that she "never felt a thing".
It was thought she was Scotland's oldest person since August 10 of that year, when former record-holder Louisa Wilson passed.
However, the discovery of Lois Fraser, who passed away on 22 October 2021 at the age of 109 years, 209 days, meant Dawson was not technically Scotland's oldest person until that point.
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She officially became a supercentenarian – somebody who has passed the age of 110 – in January 2023.
Dawson's recounting of her life is the first of many that the SWI will record as a part of their new oral history project.
It aims to capture the unheard voices of rural women in Scotland, and chart the rise of women's advocacy and change of role in the past century.
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The recordings, along with the SWI's archives documenting women's lives over the past 100 years, will be housed at the Chrichton Estate near Dumfries to protect them for future generations.
Academics and members of the public will be able to access the archives in order to learn and be inspired by rural women of years past.
The SWI is looking for present and past members of their organisation who wish to contribute to the oral histories project.
Former and current SWI members who would like to take part are asked to contact hello@theswi.org.uk to express their interest.
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