Born: 31 May, 1917, in Paisley.
Died: 15 February, 2008, in North Berwick, aged 90. LADY Janet Avonside OBE upheld standards throughout her distinguished career: especially when she was a governor of the BBC. She championed q
uality broadcasting and was never afraid to bring to her colleagues' notice that certain programmes were not up to the standard she expected. Lady Avonside was forthright with her opinions but was a keen listener and an assiduous public servant nationally and locally. She supported her husband, who rose to the post of Scotland's Lord Advocate, and was an acclaimed hostess at their house in Samuelston in East Lothian. That fine arbiter of good living, the late Sir Nicholas Fairbairn, wrote in his autobiography after a party at the Avonsides': "It was a jewel of civilisation for cats and men alike."
Janet Sutherland Murray was born into a medical family and educated at St Columba's School, Kilmacolm. She read law at Edinburgh University and took a diploma in social services. She spent a year studying German at Baden Baden and witnessed the rise of Nazism. At the school she was instructed to give the Nazi salute to the portrait of Adolf Hitler. Displaying a courage that was never to leave her, she refused and fled to London before the school authorities could take any action.
During the war, Lady Avonside worked in the Ministry of Supply as assistant labour officer (Scotland) and in 1945 was appointed secretary of the King George's Fund for Sailors – an appointment she held until 1953.
The war left her with a profound hatred of conflicts and as early as the late 1940s Lady Avonside campaigned for a United Europe to prevent future hostilities.
She was Scotland's delegate to the Council of Europe in 1947 and at one council meeting made a forceful speech in favour of economic co-operation. Winston Churchill, in the audience, warmly congratulated her afterwards. From 1954-64 she was secretary of the Scottish division of the Federal Union and United Europe movements.
Lady Avonside was also an active member of the Tory Party and fought unsuccessfully three general elections as a prospective Tory MP. They were all in marginal, and unpromising, constituencies: Maryhill (1950), Dundee East (1951) and Leith (1955). In 1958 she was made an OBE for her work in Europe.
Lady Avonside retired from active politics and in 1954 married Ian Shearer, QC, who was soon appointed sheriff for Renfrew and Argyll and, in 1962, Lord Advocate.
From 1964-84, Lord Avonside was a lord of the Court of Session and in all these appointments his wife provided enthusiastic support personally and socially.
She remained active in many areas of Scottish life, serving as a lecturer in social studies at Edinburgh University (1962-70) and a governor of Queen Margaret College, Edinburgh (1986-9).
She was also a forward-looking commentator on social affairs. At a meeting with the Scottish Association for the Adoption of Children in 1969 she spoke out in support of "modern youth". She said: "It was our generation who broke down the moral standards. We allowed the all-night permissive society. We must ensure that young people really have a fundamental knowledge of contraception."
In 1971, she was appointed Scottish representative and a governor of the BBC. It was an ideal appointment as not only had Lady Avonside the experience of working within radio, but her independent and incisive mind was a valuable addition to discussions in the BBC boardroom. She resolutely insisted that standards be maintained and was enthusiastic "for programmes like Civilisation", but told an audience of women in Edinburgh: "I can assure you it cannot possibly compete in popularity with Up Pompeii."
Asa Briggs, (the historian and now Lord Briggs of Lewes) in his Official History of the BBC, comments that there was much discussion in 1972 about access programmes after the success of Late Night Line Up hosted by the young Joan Bakewell. The board was minded to expand the schedules with more community and topical programmes. Briggs wrote: "Several of the governors were sceptical, and one of them, Lady Avonside, the national governor for Scotland, bluntly asked why the BBC wanted to show such programmes at all." Lady Avonside pursued the subject and had several meetings with the then director-general, Sir David Attenborough.
Lady Avonside was keen to expand the number of programmes made in Scotland and agreed with the Saltire Society, which lobbied the Pilkington Committee in 1960 that there should be a greater "Scottish perspective on both local and national events".
In 1975 she presented a submission to the Annan Committee into the future of broadcasting with the firm request for more Scottish material, the development of community radio and better transmission facilities. Significantly, all these were accepted and acted upon within a few years.
On taking up the appointment at the BBC she said: "I will speak for Scotland, but not with a parochial view." Her clarity of mind and sense of fair play made her an excellent governor. Her stepdaughter, Anne Shearer, said: "Janet was fearless and undaunted in presenting her point of view. She was a good listener and was always interested to hear another opinion. She was wonderfully interested in other people. Her work for charities – particularly the King George's Fund for Sailors and the Viewpoint Homes – was done quietly and with a caring heart.
"Janet was devoted to my father, her husband. She assisted him in everything. They loved gardening and growing some wonderful roses at The Mill House at Samuelston.
"She was remarkably energetic and always courteous; a most diligent chair of committees. Everything was done with grace and humour."
After Lord Avonside's death in 1996 she moved to North Berwick. She is survived by her two stepchildren.
The full article contains 973 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
