SALINE Golf Club was packed on Friday as residents turned out in force to honour two community stalwarts.

The specially organised evening recognised the contributions former Saline and Steelend Community Council chairmen Jim Hensman and John Crane BEM have made to the community for more than 30 years.

Tributes were led by residents Gareth Turner and Jim McNaught, who spoke of the wide range of organisations and activities Jim and John had led or supported over that time, as well as their service as active members of the community council.

West Fife Villages councillor Bobby Clelland also spoke of his experience of working with the duo, and Fife Provost Jim Leishman presented engraved glass bowls to each as a token of the community’s appreciation of their hard work and dedication.

Current community council chairman David Chisholm told the Press: “A lot of people came and there was a warmth about the whole event which was quite moving.

“Most people thought they knew Jim and John quite well but there were a lot of things they were unaware of.

“Jim is a senior elder in the church and there was a time in the 1980s when he was involved in a humanitarian convoy taking food to help people in Russia.

“John is an authority on little stories and anecdotes about the area – he wrote Of Cabbages and Kings, a history of Saline parish – and was the driving force behind the West Fife Villages Exhibition of Art.

“They’re a couple of larger-than-life characters, a bit of a double act – most things that have happened in the village, like the bonfire night, which we did not have for years, is largely down to them.

“They’ve been responsible in one way or another for a lot of things that have happened in the village. I’m very grateful to them for their support and encouragement.”

David underlined the pair’s “enormous” contributions and hoped the evening reminded residents of the importance of community service.

He added: “John and Jim were instrumental in securing the funding that allowed us to carry out a Community Futures exercise back in 2011 and to produce an action plan that sets out the priorities for creating a sustainable future for our area.

“Without people like John and Jim many of the things we take for granted would be lost and I encourage everyone to consider how they might contribute.”