One of Scotland’s most popular and enthusiastic Charolais cattle breeders, Jim Muirhead, Firhills, Arbroath, has passed away. He was 74. Born on November 25, 1949, he was the first son of David and Grace Muirhead, and an elder brother to his younger sister Moira.

Although christened David James Muirhead, he was always known as Jim or Firry, after the farm. Jim attended Arbroath Primary School and went on to Arbroath High School, where he enjoyed playing football. An avid supporter of Arbroath Football Club all his days, he joked in his early years how he trialled for Hibs, but he left school at 16 years of age to return home to work on the 400-acre mixed arable and livestock unit at Firhills with his father.

A keen young farmer, he met his wife to be, Dena from Inverkeilor, at a Young Farmers dance. The couple were married in 1967 and they set up home at the cottage at Upper Newbiggin farm where the family had taken on the tenancy. A few years later, they went on to have two daughters, Allison and Karen.

Jim loved all aspects of the outdoors – farming, gardening and scouts. He enjoyed cultivating and showing begonias and dahlias at events in Arbroath and Dundee and when the girls were growing up, they’d have family holidays in the caravan at Blair Atholl and later at The Royal Highland Show. He was also passionate about the Boy Scouts, having started his scouting life in 1962, before he got married. Jim became a patrol leader in 1964/65 and went on to be a Scout leader in 1972. A founder member of the Scottish Scout Fellowship, he assisted in the organisation of local and national camping weekends and competitions.

Such was his enthusiasm to educate the younger generation about the outdoors, manners and respect that he also attended the International Scouts Camping Jamboree to Australia in 1987 at Christmas – much to Dena’s dismay as she was left at home on the farm with the girls. But while there was a lot of ‘grafting’ involved in camping, Jim was always up to some sort of mischief whether it be sewing up sleeping bags, or stuffing them with weird and wonderful paraphernalia.

Jim also loved sitting down and having a dram with folks and while he was always up for nonsense, he knew when to calm it down. He was renowned for his kist parties at the Highland Show, or at the Bull Sales, which he lived for especially when started exhibiting his prized home-bred pedigree Charolais cattle from the Firhills herd, established in 1971.

Jim loved showing cattle at his home shows at Angus, Alyth, Kirriemuir Perth, and regularly took top awards at both local and national events. In recent years, his cattle would often make up part of the inter-breed groups and pairs at the Highland Show. His biggest achievement at Ingliston was winning the reserve overall championship in 2017 with Firhills Lady. Firhills bulls were highly sought after at the breed sales at Perth and Stirling, and often attracted high four figure price tags and a five-figure sale.

Selling to regular buyers was always one of Jim’s main goals, and he did. A keen stockman, his judging skills were well sought after, with Jim often asked to select winners at local and national events. One of his most favoured was placing the Charolais at the Stirling Bull Sales in February 2022 and selecting the inter-breed beef pairs at the Highland Show.

Passionate about the Charolais breed the people who worked with them, he enjoyed attended breed trips to Northern Ireland and their native home-land in France. He was a real enthusiast about educating the younger generation through good banter, a dram or three and hard graft.

He worked hard, and played harder, but always made sure he led by example. A ‘Lichtie’ for more than 50 years, Jim was a season ticket holder for most of his days and after the sad passing of his wife Dena in 1997, he took great pride and joy attending Arbroath football matches with his sons-in-law Norman and John and more recently his grandchildren Maisy and Hamish.

He also enjoyed Mediterranean cruises with close friends from a neighbouring farm in latter years. He was also proud to be able to celebrate 100 years of the Muirheads farming at Firhills with his family.

Sadly, Jim struggled with cancer in his final years, but his legacy lives on in the huge number of friends he made in so many walks of life and in the family he left -daughters Allison and Karen, their husbands Norman and John and grandchildren, Maisie and Hamish.