Several years ago – mid to late 90s – I was a student in Aberdeen on an utterly pointless film and media course which has served me no benefit to date, and which probably never will.
Anyway, while there I met and became friends with a great bunch of people, ultimately sharing a flat with one of them for a year. My flatmate – Greig – introduced me to another great bunch of people, who he was in a band with.
We all hung about at our flat, drinking Irn Bru, eating chicken pies from the corner shop, and generally having a fab old time to ourselves into the early hours of most mornings. It was one of those situations only students and the long term unemployed can really find themselves in – an endless parade of late night … not parties, but relaxed, social gatherings where you laughed until your chest felt fit for bursting.
Over the decade since then, life has gotten in the way. I moved away from Aberdeen, kept in contact for a few years, and then gradually lost touch with most of the guys I knew up there.
Last week I was shocked to see a photo of Stuart Campbell – one of the guys from back then – on the BBC news website. I clicked the photo and was horrified to discover he had gone missing.
It was vaguely surreal. There was Campbell’s photo. There was a quote from another friend, Stuart Leon, appealing for him to get in touch. When my broadband connection started working properly, I was able to watch Leon’s video appeal, when – his voice choked with emotion – he spoke of the poster campaign he and some of Campbell’s many, many other friends had been working on.
Sadly, it was to no avail. Stuart Campbell’s body was found in bushes by the side of an Aberdeen road last Friday. I’d heard a body had been found, but had hoped it would turn out to be some other unfortunate soul. It wasn’t.
I’m not going to comment on any of the events leading up to Campbell’s death. All I will say is that he was one of the nicest, most caring guys I ever met. He was also funny, played a mean cover of 99 Red Balloons, and was even willing to play a cross-dressing, teleporting supervillain in BUDD POWER, SPACE ADVENTURER – a short video we all made in the flat. Not many people I’ve met since would be prepared to undertake such a role.
Above all this, though, he was a good friend – not just to me, but to all of the 100+ people who turned out to lend their support to the poster campaign. For all these reasons and many, many more, he will be missed.
From the BBC: Body identified as missing father
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Written by Barry
Topics: Personal