Honourary life member of the Magic Circle, William McGhee, has his own magic at home in Cardonald – his wife Janet.

The couple were due to celebrate their golden wedding on Thursday March 1 and a weekend of celebrations was scheduled as the LOCAL NEWS went to press.

Married in Cardonald Parish Church in 1957, the pair have 4 children and 2 grandchildren – son Brian, daughters Brenda, Gloria and Linda and grandchildren Laura (14) and Cameron (2 ½).

Apart from his Magic Circle work and his stamp collection, William enjoys nothing better than time spent with his family. ‘I’m still baby sitting for the grandchildren,’ said the Govan born man. When asked what was the ‘magic’ that first attracted him to Janet when he met her on a visit to the old Galbraith Bakery in Craigton Road, he immediately replied ‘Her good looks! And she’s still good looking.’

William was a tailor’s cutter at the time of his marriage. He was called up for National Service in the Royal Scots Fusiliers and subsequently spent 35 years working ‘on the buses’ in Glasgow. Initially he was a conductor with Glasgow Corporation and when that job was phased out he became a driver. Latterly he drove the ‘smiley’ bus for Strathclyde Buses which gave out bus timetable information to people at busy shopping centres to keep them informed of changes and to help them plan their bus journeys across the city. ‘They don’t have anything like than now, but they could do with it,’ said William.

Janet, who is a bit of a bookworm, has quietly and efficiently dedicated herself to being a ‘magic’ wife and mother of a happy family.