With Athole & Christina Fleming

IN THE BEGINNING

Q1) Where were you born?

Glasgow on 11th September 1960 in the Rottenrow Hospital

Q2) What is your earliest memory?

Looking through the side railings in my cot beside Mum and Dad’s bed, I would have been maybe 10 months old.

Q3) How would you describe your childhood upbringing?

Mostly very happy, but stressful on going to school for the frst time. I remember holding on to the fence not wanting to go, and being sick all over my Ford Anglia toy car in the classroom,

My freedom had been taken away from me.

Q4) How was school for you?

Toryglen Primary School has its’ fair share of bullies and I can’t say I enjoyed it much. Secondary was much more fun and I still have friends from those times. I was ‘arty’ rather than academic.

THE INTERVIEW up close & personal

Your Name: Athole Murray Fleming

Your job title: Managing Director

Company name: Athole Design & Publishing Ltd

What you do for the company? Arrange editorial contents, edit and sell advertising for our magazines

MOVING ON

Q5) What were you into during your teenage years?

Playing guitar, growing very long hair, dressing like a hippy and loved The Beatles (I still do).

I learned that playing guitar was very attractive to girls…nuff said!

Q6) Who was the frst infuence in your life?

My Mum. Although she had dreadful Rheumatoid Arthritis, she could still play a piano and make clothes.

She bought me my frst guitar from the Kays catalogue. My mum liked music, so I guess that’s where I got my interest from. Although she died when I was seventeen, I am still thankful for her infuence on me today.

Q7) College, University or straight into work?

Art College studying Graphic Design, although I left after only six months – I got bored!

But I did meet my future wife and partner Christina there, although we did not fancy each other at the time. Strange how life changes things!

Q8) Any unusual working experiences from those early years? First job was with a publisher

Athole playing at one of his many gigs

selling advertising space on Police Magazines. Being before computers we had to hand draw each advert. My favourite being a ‘Wedding Cake’ advert that when published showed a roast chicken instead of a wedding cake.

The client repeated the advert as it got so many enquiries!

GROWING UP

Q9) What was your frst car?

A £50 Volkswagen Golf from my Dad. We called it ‘Peggie’ as it kept pegging out when slowing down.

Q10) Be honest now, did you pass your test frst time?

Yes, for some reason I felt totally relaxed and it was a breeze.

Q11) Can you remember your frst love or passion?

Learning about bats in primary school, a brilliant project. I am still fascinated by them today.

First love? It has to be art and music.

LIFE AND LEISURE

Q12) Do you have a talent that you would like to share with us?

I play guitar, write and record my own songs/albums and for the last twelve years, fronted my own rock band doing around thirty gigs a year. Now working on solo material.

Q13) Away from work, how do you like to relax?

We recently bought a campervan, Christina and I love getting away for a trip and tinned ‘Full Monty’ breakfasts!

Q14) How is life today for you?

Well, hitting 60 was a mile stone I suppose. We are very lucky in that we have a good solid business, working with great people, and an offce in our garden. We work hard, but we get the rewards in so many other ways too. Not being restrained to a 9 to 5 regime is the best thing ever!

Christina and I both love Art Galleries and we have quite a collection of original works now. We also love the Scottish countryside. Christina is from the Isle of Lewis, so we love the wild Places, and Brugge in Belgium.

Q15) What is the best advice you have been given and would like to pass on to our readers?

From my eldest brother Gordon just before my Engineering Drawing Higher.

I had failed the O' Level, and got an F in the higher prelim. My teacher even joked that if I passed, he would appeal.

The advice? “Don’t think about what you can’t do, think about what you can do”. I passed!

INTO BUSINESS Q16) Your current job, can you tell us a little more about what you do?

Editor of Farming Scotland Magazine and Shooting Scotland Magazine. Working in partnership with Christina to design and publish both magazines to be the best we can make.

We started on our own in 1992, so we must be doing something right!

Q17) Is there a ‘dream job’ out there waiting for you?

Not any more, I am perfectly happy with what we are doing now. Had things went differently when I was in my teens, I would have loved a career in a rock band for a living. But who wants to die at 27 right?

LAST THOUGHTS

Q18) Is there a single person (alive or dead) you would love to meet?

John Lennon.

Q19) And fnally, is there one thing in the world you would like to

change? An end to religious and political confict.