John Irvine

John was a teacher at Forrester High School in Edinburgh, ran football teams, wrote Biology by Inquiry (a school textbook) and did a myriad of other good works. In his teacher role he took parties of schoolkids ‘home’ to Shetland on outdoor education trips every summer. As most of the children were from deprived inner city areas, the Shetland trips introduced them to a very different way of life and had a very positive impact.

Most of the films by John Irvine document these outdoor education trips - including travels around Shetland and visits to local businesses. There are also some additional films by John’s brother Derek, which include the Queen and Prince Philip visiting Shetland in 1960.