Max Houliston (04/02/1936 - 19/08/2022)
Order of Service & Eulogy delivered by Mr Mark Jardine (Undertaker)
Max Houliston
Crichton Royal Wednesday 7th September at 1.15pm
~
Lee McQueen accordionist playing before the service and as people gather.
~
Cavatina is played
~
Good afternoon……
On behalf of Elizabeth, Alan and all the members of the family, - thank you for coming here to the Crichton Royal Church.
Max Houliston is synonymous with the Hole in The Wa’ and with his Scottish Dance Band, - and he will remain in the memories of everyone here today as one of the celebrities of the town.
Our grateful thanks to Lee McQueen for entertaining us today.
On top of that, - Max was a man of many hobbies because he simply couldn’t sit still, - but perhaps above all, - he absolutely adored his family.
~
Let’s sing along together Abide with Me
Hymn
ABIDE WITH ME
~
Max Houliston
Maxwell was the 4th son born to Robert and Elizabeth Houliston on the 4th of February 1936.
He was the brother of Billy, Bobby and Norman - who sadly passed away aged just 9 from complications with Diabetes.
They said the birth of Max actually brought his mother out of depression.
Max and his family grew up here at the Crichton where his father was head groundskeeper, and by all accounts he had a fun filled childhood in the Crichton community.
Max was educated at nearby Brownhall Primary where he became Dux of the School.
At the age of 10, he asked his parents for a musical instrument and allegedly he was hoping for a double base, but instead he was given an accordion from a family friend
He attended classes and actually strapped his accordion to the front of his bike before cycling across town!
Max practiced at home every day and also for events at the Crichton, - while listening with admiration to Bobby McLeod and Jimmy Shand, - whom he met of course!
After High school, Max completed his 2 years National Service at Catterick in the Signal Corps, where bizarrely, - he learned the alphabet backwards!
He continued to be able to recite it and even taught his grandchild Steven on a long train journey!
At Catterick, Max enjoyed playing in front of Military officers, -Corporate Lieutenants and their wives, and after completing his service, he formed his own band.
The first broadcast of Max Houliston and his Scottish Dance Band was in 1963, - and thereafter he recorded 10 albums and produced quite a number of broadcasts for the BBC’s ‘Take The Floor’.
Their broadcasts were noted for their lift and swing of Scottish music and the innovative band arrangements of the non-Scottish pieces.
Around this time, Max was working at Rickerby as an Engineer but his older brother Billy, - one of Scotland’s finest centre forwards and publicans introduced Max and his brother Bobby to the Scottish Brewery.
Together, Bobby and Max opened the Hole I the Wa pub in 1963, - when a pint of Pale was just one shilling and a whisky two bob.
The pub was established in 1620, and was regularly frequented by Robert Burns in his day.
Max liked to tell people he wasn’t the first publican to open the pub!
When he told his mother he was going to take on a pub she said: “I suppose that’ll do until you get a better job!”
Bobby left the pub to pursue other interests and Max began performing accordion music for the customers 5 nights a week with accompanying singers.
He placed an advertisement in the local newspaper to invite local accordion players to join him and improve their skills in front of a live audience.
This was the beginning of the first accordion and fiddle club in Scotland and today, there are over 50 clubs across the country.
One of Max’s highlights was recording one of his LP’s live from the pub in 1975.
CD
BLUEBELL POLKA
JIMMY SHAND
~
Max met Dorothy Robertson and started courting after meeting each other at Niagara Falls whilst he was touring Canada with the Band.
They were married at the Nith Hotel in 1967 and in the following year, - they were blessed with their first child Elizabeth whilst living in Kelton.
Max loved to tell the story of driving around Glencaple in the wee small hours of the morning trying to get baby Elizabeth to sleep, only returning home to find her wide awake!
As the pub licencing hours involved closing between 2 and 5pm Max decided he needed a hobby.
Others in the area had small fishing boats, but, with the River Nith being tidal, it wasn’t always possible for him to get on the water during that small window, - so the idea of a hovercraft came to him.
His first venture was a 2 seater craft which he moored at his home in Kelton.
In 1971, Max and Dorothy’s son Alan was born and they moved into the town, - buying Chapelmount on Laurieknowe, - a historical house which he helped to renovate into their family home for over 20 years.
Max saw the potential to improve and extend the Hole I the Wa by purchasing an old garage behind the pub in which they created the lounge bar.
With Dorothy’s help, they built a kitchen and started meals - which along with accordion sing-a-longs, made the Hole in the Wa’ one of the busiest pubs in town.
Never able to sit still, Max pursued other ventures in the town which included the ever popular ‘Oughtons’, and the ‘Bandwagon,’ - before opening the Laurieknowe Leisure Centre.
At Oughtons he brought many of the stars of the day, - performing everything from pop to jazz.
All the while, - he was still composing music and playing the accordion at events.
He continued to enjoy his hobby of hovercrafts which were increasing in size and which Dorothy used to call his Hovercraft Overdraft!
He enjoyed nothing better than getting away from the businesses with his family on ventures up and down the Nith and around the Solway coast, - and many of you will remember the noise when he set off!
One of his last hovercrafts was a 20 seater which actually made an appearance in the James Bond movie Die Another Day, starring Pierce Brosnan where it was driven off a cliff in the opening scene!
That scene broke his heart, but he wasn’t done with hovercrafts just yet, as he then bought the stand in for the movie and renamed it MH 006, - with more than a nod to 007!
~
After Elizabeth emigrated to Melbourne in 1989, Max and Dorothy enjoyed holidays ‘down under’ to visit her.
On the plane over Dorothy used to joke: “Max and the pilot were the only ones wearing a collar and tie!”
They then had the delight of becoming grandparents to Andrew, Steven and Amy.
Max continued to travel annually to Australia to visit his family and he was guaranteed to have his nose burned and as bright as a beacon by day three!
Everyone used to tell Max that Australia was such a long way away, - but he used to remind them it was only a day on a plane!
His granddaughter Amy missed him so much one year that she actually flew over from Australia and surprised him with a visit.
Max then became a Papa for the 4th time when his son Alan had a son, Jack.
Sadly, Dorothy passed away very suddenly in 1998, and Max was completely devastated by the loss, but always kept her in his heart.
CD
THE DARK ISLAND
ALEXANDER BROTHERS
Max began to slow down with his business ventures but he continued to entertain people with his accordion music and dry witty sense of humour.
Indeed, he loved entertaining and supporting Dumfries Rotary Club with Tea Dances, - while he looked forward to the Friday lunches with the rest of his fellow members, - many of whom are here today.
Max was overjoyed by the arrival of grandchildren Cairn and Scott and he always said one of his highlights in the pub was playing the accordion with his granddaughter Cairn whom he had taught to play.
Scott loved to keep his papa updated on all things football, but most importantly, Queen of the South.
When Max retired from the pub, - he handed the reigns over to his son Alan and ultimately his grandson Jack.
Under their ownership, the pub continues to thrive and be one of the most popular in the town.
10 years ago, Max was recognised for his dedication to the Hole in the Wa’ when he was selected from 1,300 other publicans to receive a life time achievement award by the Heineken owned Star Pubs and Bars, - which is quite an accolade!
In 2019 Max’s daughter Elizabeth returned from Australia with her children.
He always said: “having his family together brought him so much happiness.
Elizabeth was delighted to return home to be with her father and take care of him.
Among her fond memories are taking him on outings, - to tea dances and sitting in the Crichton grounds playing his favourite music and reminiscing about his favourite times as a youngster.
His grandson Andrew had the most important job of keeping Max updated with the FTSE 100 shares!
Then last year, Max was very proud to became a great grandfather to Olivia.
His smile lit up the room and he chuckled with joy when she came to visit him.
He watched with admiration at how quickly she was growing and you often heard him say “She’s a Bonnie wee thing.”
A back injury and diabetes slowed him down in the last few years, but his love of listening to Scottish music and attending tea dances never waned.
Even in the last year he was pursuing new methods of transport, purchasing a mobility scooter, - and he found great pleasure in zooming around the Edinburgh Road and accompanying the family on dog walks!
Max is quoted as saying “he would do it all again if he had the choice to live his life over.”
…………………………………. Now that’s a life well lived.
( The song we are about to listen to now is one that Max wrote and often played himself)
CD
SARAH - MAX HOULISTON
• Andrew grandson is speaking
Our grateful thanks to Andrew
Let us pray………
We have all come here today with personal memories of MAX.....so let us remember him now in our own special way in silence.........
SILENCE
Max’s role down here is done
Unfortunately, he couldn’t stay.
His soul has touched us all,
And he has sailed away.
We all know people arrive on earth
With special roles to fill,
And Max has fully played his part,
His memory guides us still.
His spirit touched each one of us,
Like no other ever could.
Forever we will cherish him
He was one of the truly good.
AMEN
~
We head shortly to the High Cemetery and we ask that you take to your cars as soon as possible, as we have assistance from the police at the roundabout at the 24 hour garage.
The family extend an invitation to you all to join them at the Cairndale Hotel, - where refreshments will be served and you will all be made most welcome.
As you leave, there will be an opportunity to place a donation in memory of Max for Diabetes UK.
We are going to close our service by listening to one of Max’s favourite songs, - What a Wonderful World……….
~
CD
What a Wonderful World
Louis Armstrong
~
Lee McQueen playing the coffin out
DUMFRIES HIGH CEMETERY
COMMITTAL
LOWER COFFIN
~
For everything there is a season for every purpose under the sun;
A time to laugh and a time to weep;
A time to dance and a time to mourn;
A time to be born and a time to die.......
And for as much as it hath pleased Almighty God, to take unto himself the soul of our brother MAX here departed, we therefore commit his body to the ground,…………….earth to earth………….
Ashes to ashes..........and dust to dust......... in the strong hope of the resurrection to an eternal life
An honest man here lies at rest,
As ere God with his image blest,
The friend of man, the friend of truth;
The friend of age, and guide of youth;
Few hearts like his with virtue warmed,
Few heads with knowledge so informed;
If there’s another world, - he lives in bliss;
If there is none, - MAX made the best of this.
AMEN
~
PAD CEREMONY
Crichton Royal Wednesday 7th September at 1.15pm
~
Lee McQueen accordionist playing before the service and as people gather.
~
Cavatina is played
~
Good afternoon……
On behalf of Elizabeth, Alan and all the members of the family, - thank you for coming here to the Crichton Royal Church.
Max Houliston is synonymous with the Hole in The Wa’ and with his Scottish Dance Band, - and he will remain in the memories of everyone here today as one of the celebrities of the town.
Our grateful thanks to Lee McQueen for entertaining us today.
On top of that, - Max was a man of many hobbies because he simply couldn’t sit still, - but perhaps above all, - he absolutely adored his family.
~
Let’s sing along together Abide with Me
Hymn
ABIDE WITH ME
~
Max Houliston
Maxwell was the 4th son born to Robert and Elizabeth Houliston on the 4th of February 1936.
He was the brother of Billy, Bobby and Norman - who sadly passed away aged just 9 from complications with Diabetes.
They said the birth of Max actually brought his mother out of depression.
Max and his family grew up here at the Crichton where his father was head groundskeeper, and by all accounts he had a fun filled childhood in the Crichton community.
Max was educated at nearby Brownhall Primary where he became Dux of the School.
At the age of 10, he asked his parents for a musical instrument and allegedly he was hoping for a double base, but instead he was given an accordion from a family friend
He attended classes and actually strapped his accordion to the front of his bike before cycling across town!
Max practiced at home every day and also for events at the Crichton, - while listening with admiration to Bobby McLeod and Jimmy Shand, - whom he met of course!
After High school, Max completed his 2 years National Service at Catterick in the Signal Corps, where bizarrely, - he learned the alphabet backwards!
He continued to be able to recite it and even taught his grandchild Steven on a long train journey!
At Catterick, Max enjoyed playing in front of Military officers, -Corporate Lieutenants and their wives, and after completing his service, he formed his own band.
The first broadcast of Max Houliston and his Scottish Dance Band was in 1963, - and thereafter he recorded 10 albums and produced quite a number of broadcasts for the BBC’s ‘Take The Floor’.
Their broadcasts were noted for their lift and swing of Scottish music and the innovative band arrangements of the non-Scottish pieces.
Around this time, Max was working at Rickerby as an Engineer but his older brother Billy, - one of Scotland’s finest centre forwards and publicans introduced Max and his brother Bobby to the Scottish Brewery.
Together, Bobby and Max opened the Hole I the Wa pub in 1963, - when a pint of Pale was just one shilling and a whisky two bob.
The pub was established in 1620, and was regularly frequented by Robert Burns in his day.
Max liked to tell people he wasn’t the first publican to open the pub!
When he told his mother he was going to take on a pub she said: “I suppose that’ll do until you get a better job!”
Bobby left the pub to pursue other interests and Max began performing accordion music for the customers 5 nights a week with accompanying singers.
He placed an advertisement in the local newspaper to invite local accordion players to join him and improve their skills in front of a live audience.
This was the beginning of the first accordion and fiddle club in Scotland and today, there are over 50 clubs across the country.
One of Max’s highlights was recording one of his LP’s live from the pub in 1975.
CD
BLUEBELL POLKA
JIMMY SHAND
~
Max met Dorothy Robertson and started courting after meeting each other at Niagara Falls whilst he was touring Canada with the Band.
They were married at the Nith Hotel in 1967 and in the following year, - they were blessed with their first child Elizabeth whilst living in Kelton.
Max loved to tell the story of driving around Glencaple in the wee small hours of the morning trying to get baby Elizabeth to sleep, only returning home to find her wide awake!
As the pub licencing hours involved closing between 2 and 5pm Max decided he needed a hobby.
Others in the area had small fishing boats, but, with the River Nith being tidal, it wasn’t always possible for him to get on the water during that small window, - so the idea of a hovercraft came to him.
His first venture was a 2 seater craft which he moored at his home in Kelton.
In 1971, Max and Dorothy’s son Alan was born and they moved into the town, - buying Chapelmount on Laurieknowe, - a historical house which he helped to renovate into their family home for over 20 years.
Max saw the potential to improve and extend the Hole I the Wa by purchasing an old garage behind the pub in which they created the lounge bar.
With Dorothy’s help, they built a kitchen and started meals - which along with accordion sing-a-longs, made the Hole in the Wa’ one of the busiest pubs in town.
Never able to sit still, Max pursued other ventures in the town which included the ever popular ‘Oughtons’, and the ‘Bandwagon,’ - before opening the Laurieknowe Leisure Centre.
At Oughtons he brought many of the stars of the day, - performing everything from pop to jazz.
All the while, - he was still composing music and playing the accordion at events.
He continued to enjoy his hobby of hovercrafts which were increasing in size and which Dorothy used to call his Hovercraft Overdraft!
He enjoyed nothing better than getting away from the businesses with his family on ventures up and down the Nith and around the Solway coast, - and many of you will remember the noise when he set off!
One of his last hovercrafts was a 20 seater which actually made an appearance in the James Bond movie Die Another Day, starring Pierce Brosnan where it was driven off a cliff in the opening scene!
That scene broke his heart, but he wasn’t done with hovercrafts just yet, as he then bought the stand in for the movie and renamed it MH 006, - with more than a nod to 007!
~
After Elizabeth emigrated to Melbourne in 1989, Max and Dorothy enjoyed holidays ‘down under’ to visit her.
On the plane over Dorothy used to joke: “Max and the pilot were the only ones wearing a collar and tie!”
They then had the delight of becoming grandparents to Andrew, Steven and Amy.
Max continued to travel annually to Australia to visit his family and he was guaranteed to have his nose burned and as bright as a beacon by day three!
Everyone used to tell Max that Australia was such a long way away, - but he used to remind them it was only a day on a plane!
His granddaughter Amy missed him so much one year that she actually flew over from Australia and surprised him with a visit.
Max then became a Papa for the 4th time when his son Alan had a son, Jack.
Sadly, Dorothy passed away very suddenly in 1998, and Max was completely devastated by the loss, but always kept her in his heart.
CD
THE DARK ISLAND
ALEXANDER BROTHERS
Max began to slow down with his business ventures but he continued to entertain people with his accordion music and dry witty sense of humour.
Indeed, he loved entertaining and supporting Dumfries Rotary Club with Tea Dances, - while he looked forward to the Friday lunches with the rest of his fellow members, - many of whom are here today.
Max was overjoyed by the arrival of grandchildren Cairn and Scott and he always said one of his highlights in the pub was playing the accordion with his granddaughter Cairn whom he had taught to play.
Scott loved to keep his papa updated on all things football, but most importantly, Queen of the South.
When Max retired from the pub, - he handed the reigns over to his son Alan and ultimately his grandson Jack.
Under their ownership, the pub continues to thrive and be one of the most popular in the town.
10 years ago, Max was recognised for his dedication to the Hole in the Wa’ when he was selected from 1,300 other publicans to receive a life time achievement award by the Heineken owned Star Pubs and Bars, - which is quite an accolade!
In 2019 Max’s daughter Elizabeth returned from Australia with her children.
He always said: “having his family together brought him so much happiness.
Elizabeth was delighted to return home to be with her father and take care of him.
Among her fond memories are taking him on outings, - to tea dances and sitting in the Crichton grounds playing his favourite music and reminiscing about his favourite times as a youngster.
His grandson Andrew had the most important job of keeping Max updated with the FTSE 100 shares!
Then last year, Max was very proud to became a great grandfather to Olivia.
His smile lit up the room and he chuckled with joy when she came to visit him.
He watched with admiration at how quickly she was growing and you often heard him say “She’s a Bonnie wee thing.”
A back injury and diabetes slowed him down in the last few years, but his love of listening to Scottish music and attending tea dances never waned.
Even in the last year he was pursuing new methods of transport, purchasing a mobility scooter, - and he found great pleasure in zooming around the Edinburgh Road and accompanying the family on dog walks!
Max is quoted as saying “he would do it all again if he had the choice to live his life over.”
…………………………………. Now that’s a life well lived.
( The song we are about to listen to now is one that Max wrote and often played himself)
CD
SARAH - MAX HOULISTON
• Andrew grandson is speaking
Our grateful thanks to Andrew
Let us pray………
We have all come here today with personal memories of MAX.....so let us remember him now in our own special way in silence.........
SILENCE
Max’s role down here is done
Unfortunately, he couldn’t stay.
His soul has touched us all,
And he has sailed away.
We all know people arrive on earth
With special roles to fill,
And Max has fully played his part,
His memory guides us still.
His spirit touched each one of us,
Like no other ever could.
Forever we will cherish him
He was one of the truly good.
AMEN
~
We head shortly to the High Cemetery and we ask that you take to your cars as soon as possible, as we have assistance from the police at the roundabout at the 24 hour garage.
The family extend an invitation to you all to join them at the Cairndale Hotel, - where refreshments will be served and you will all be made most welcome.
As you leave, there will be an opportunity to place a donation in memory of Max for Diabetes UK.
We are going to close our service by listening to one of Max’s favourite songs, - What a Wonderful World……….
~
CD
What a Wonderful World
Louis Armstrong
~
Lee McQueen playing the coffin out
DUMFRIES HIGH CEMETERY
COMMITTAL
LOWER COFFIN
~
For everything there is a season for every purpose under the sun;
A time to laugh and a time to weep;
A time to dance and a time to mourn;
A time to be born and a time to die.......
And for as much as it hath pleased Almighty God, to take unto himself the soul of our brother MAX here departed, we therefore commit his body to the ground,…………….earth to earth………….
Ashes to ashes..........and dust to dust......... in the strong hope of the resurrection to an eternal life
An honest man here lies at rest,
As ere God with his image blest,
The friend of man, the friend of truth;
The friend of age, and guide of youth;
Few hearts like his with virtue warmed,
Few heads with knowledge so informed;
If there’s another world, - he lives in bliss;
If there is none, - MAX made the best of this.
AMEN
~
PAD CEREMONY