Elic Kennedy

ON CHRISTMAS Eve the Gypsy Traveller community saw, with great sadness, one of our finest men travel on from us. Following a short and sudden illness, Elic passed away at Hairmyres Hospital in South Lanarkshire.

Alexander Kennedy was born 60 years ago last August in Lanark, but it wouldn't have mattered where, as he loved every part of this country. He was a proud Romany Gypsy man whose family roots lay in and around the Lanark, Borders and Edinburgh areas. He was a direct descendant of one of the foremost Romany Gypsy families in Scotland and could trace his bloodline back to the Queen of the Yetholm Gypsies, Esther Faa Blyth.

Elic loved his culture, its traditions, its way of life, history and language.

He was an artist of some considerable talent. He could make anything out of wood and created many paintings (none of which he would sell for profit) depicting scenes of Gypsy Traveller life including the caravans and wagons of yesteryear.

Elic was a great character who lived life to the full. He had a great sense of fun and loved engaging with people from all walks of life. He loved nothing better than taking his vardo (traditional Romany wagon] to what is now left of the traditional Gypsy gatherings such as St Boswells, Brough Hill and Appleby. The first thing he would do was light up a "stick fire" where everybody would congregate and pass the time of day. Whether you were Giorgio or Gypsy Traveller you would walk away with a history lesson. If you hung about long enough, and many did, you would get a right good feed from the many pots cooking over the fire (nouvelle cuisine was certainly not on his menu).

Elic and his family had recently become settled in Symington, but he had spent most of his life on the road, first with his parents and then with his wife, Freda, and his own family, trying to maintain his traditional way of life. He was a man to whom fairness mattered and he despised prejudice and injustice in any form.

Elic, along with many others from the Gypsy Traveller community, was well acquainted with misunderstanding and discrimination. It was such experiences that made him determined to work towards redressing the balance and he became a passionate advocate and activist for his community. He treated everyone as an equal, had no time for posturing and pretension and was very quick to pick up on it.

Elic made a significant contribution to the Scottish Government's Strategic Working Group on Gypsy Travellers. He was particularly concerned about issues such as accommodation and recognition of Gypsy Travellers as an ethnic minority in Scotland. He lobbied MPs, local and national, and he became a force to be reckoned with and could debate with anyone for hours to prove a point if he thought he was right.

One of the things that angered him most was how Gypsy Travellers were portrayed by the media and he would grab every opportunity and invitation to speak about the positive aspects and all that is good about our lifestyle and culture .

Elic truly was a one-off and his passing is a loss not only to our own community but to the many whose lives he touched. He has left a lasting legacy in his family, who will carry on the traditions and heritage he so proudly preserved.

Be assured Elic, wherever you are, there are still, and will continue to be, "Hearts upon The Highway".

Elic is survived by his wife, his sons and grandchildren.

By MARY HENDRY

Born: 22 August, 1949, in Lanark.

Died: 24 December, 2009, in East Kilbride, aged 60.

Elic and his wife also feature in this film: