David Shepherd was born in Dundee on 28th February 1930, the youngest of Andrew Inglis and Marjorie Shepherd’s four children.
Educated at Dundee High School, Mill Hill in London and St Bees in Cumberland (during the war years), David spent his National Service as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Royal Engineers in
the New Territories in Hong Kong.
Graduating with a BSc degree in Estate Management at the University of London in 1952, David took up a junior partnership in the chartered surveying and factoring
practice J&E Shepherd, then at Gellatly Street, Dundee.
Taking the reins in 1970 from his late partner Fred Henderson, David opened the firm’s first sub-office in Aberdeen in 1973, at the beginning of the North Sea oil boom. From there, with a cohort of new youthful partners, he drove the company to flourish from a small sole practitioner’s business to one of the largest independent Scottish firms of general practice chartered surveyors. By the time of his retirement in 1995, the firm had 13 partners and 40 chartered surveyors; operating from its Albert Square HQ and 13 other offices across the country – from Inverness to Dumfries – laying the foundations for subsequent expansion across the UK.
David was also Chairman of the Northern Housing Company (formerly Northern Housing Association) until 1996, an independent charity which owned and managed over 400 affordable homes in Dundee and Perth. In addition, he held such posts as National President of the Rating and Valuation Association, President of the Land Institute as well as President of the Property Owners of Scotland. He held a seat on the Lands Tribunal of Scotland and sat on the Tayside Building Preservation Trust.
David was also a board member of Glenrothes New Town Development Corporation and was appointed by the Scottish Secretary as a member of a three-man Property Commission tasked with re-organisation of local government in Scotland.
As a Former Pupil, David was devoted to Dundee High School, serving on the Board of Governors until 2000, first as Finance Convenor, then as Chairman; a role through which he motivated both staff and pupils to uphold the ethics of the School, an interest he maintained well beyond the period of his official involvement. He was also a Justice of the Peace in Dundee around this time.
David touched many people’s lives with his warm friendship and waspish dry wit; inspiring and giving support to many in business and enterprise. He took a close and often sceptical interest in political events, right up until the end of his days.
But work and public appointments were just part of his life. A devoted husband and family man, life forDavid was for living, having fun and even taking the odd risk, for example completing the Cresta Run in St Moritz at age 60!
An intrepid skier in the early days at Glenshee, a determined hillwalker (with 200 Munros under his boots) he played tennis, built tree-houses and hung rope swings, swam daily and water skied. Golf was also a great passion and following his retirement from J&E Shepherd, David was Captain of Blairgowrie Golf Club at Rosemount from 1996 to 1997. He and his wife, Irene, played golf in clubs all over the world, travelling widely together in the Bahamas, USA, Australia and Southern Africa.
Diagnosed with terminal cancer in late summer, David passed away peacefully at Cornhill Hospice in Perth on Friday 13th December 2019. He is survived and will be sorely missed by Irene, his beloved wife of over 60 years; plus their 5 children and 8 grandchildren, for whom he was always and will remain a
beacon of inspiration.
