Well known Cumbernauld couple celebrate their Golden Wedding Anniversary

Councillors Tom and Cathie Johnston, who are also known locally due to lengthy careers in education, wed on December 9, 1971 in St Columba’s Church in Glasgow’s Bath Street.

The church is closely linked to the Highland community in the city where many a match has been made over the years, often following a move to the big city!

And it was through these circles that the couple first met and discovered the bond and shared values that would unite them for more than half a century.

Cathie is a native Gaelic speaker from Port Wemyss in Islay while Tom originally hails from Cardonald.

They set up home in Cumbernauld 50 years ago, when Tom secured a history teaching post at Cumbernauld High School. Cathie taught in Glenboig Primary School.

Tom retired from 34 years of teaching at Cumbernauld High in 2005, where he had become Principal Teacher of History.

Cathie served as head teacher at Condorrat Primary School, where she also oversaw the establishment of the thriving North Lanarkshire Gaelic-medium primary school.

Married life started with a Cumbernauld Development Corporation flat in Ravenswood, then 22 years in Condorrat before moving to Kildrum in 1996.

Their daughter, Catriona, was born in 1979, followed by grandchildren James (2011) and Catherine (2014).

Catriona and husband Gordon also live in Cumbernauld.

Tom was first elected as an SNP councillor in 1984, representing the SNP on the Cumbernauld and Kilsyth District Council, until the local authority was wound up in 1996.

In 2005 he was again elected, this time to North Lanarkshire Council where he currently represents Cumbernauld East.

A council contest back in 2017 saw Cathie also elected to join Tom in the SNP group and she represents Cumbernauld South.

The Johnstons also retain close links to Islay to this day.

The Cumbernauld News would like to extend their warmest congratulations to Tom and Cathie on this landmark anniversary.