It was with great sadness that we learnt of the death of Sandy Burnett on 26th July 2022 - a fine man, player, and great supporter of the Club. He was 70.

Alexander Donald Burnett – ‘Sandy’ to his friends - was born on the 16th October 1951 and brought up in Newmacher, Aberdeenshire, the son of a farmer. He was sent to board at the Edinburgh Academy (McKenzie House and thereafter Dundas House) in 1959 and was there until 1969. Upon leaving the Academy, Sandy attended Aberdeen University to read law, where he graduated in 1973.

Sandy made many lifelong friends at the Academy and was always someone who you could rely on for advice and, being from farming stock, he was always down to earth and dependable. Because of this, there are so many great stories about Sandy from his old friends – some that have even passed the censor!

Willie Henderson fondly recalls: ‘I did think back the other day to our Duke of Edinburgh’s Award expedition to the Pentlands in the summer of 1963. It was the night of the Cassius Clay (as he was then) fight against Sonny Liston which we listened to in our tent. Sandy hadn't been slow to spot our tent was barely large enough to take two, far less the three of us, who were required to sleep in it. Occupying the centre of the tent Sandy slept soundly, whereas I recall waking in the pouring rain in the dead of night some distance from the tent having been squeezed out by Sandy and our third man!’ Another great friend, Rob Blair, said: ‘I arrived from the South mid-year, lost and out of my depth, with the wrong school uniform and an English accent, and this fierce Aberdonian made me so welcome and helped me through a difficult time. I will always remember him for that and the following 60 years of a close and very loyal friendship.’

After completing his post grad law diploma, Sandy joined the legal firm, Brodies, for two years as a trainee solicitor. In those days, trainees were not well paid, and with an annual salary of c. £1,000 pa (£13,400 in today’s money) Sandy took the initiative and moonlighted as a barman at Burlington Bertie in Tarvit Street. ‘Bertie’s’ was not one of Edinburgh’s most salubrious establishments, but Sandy no doubt learned a lot and this is perhaps where he started to refine his sharp and multi-faceted sense of humour, from which no one was exempt. Sandy’s ‘entrepreneurial’ spirit continued down at Raeburn Place, with one old friend recalling: ‘Sandy was a few years my junior, and my first recollection of him was after a rugby club dinner in probably the early seventies. Those with stamina went from the dinner, up to Craigmiller GC for a few holes of golf, then onto Murrayfield GC for final refreshments. It was a sunny day and we sat on the balcony overlooking the 18th. A bet was struck as to who might run round to the tree near the green and back, naked. Being a poor student, Sandy rose to the challenge, won the bet, and managed to avoid detection by anyone other than ourselves.’

After Brodies, Sandy joined Haggard and Burn Murdoch (now Lindsays), and following his stint there, he went on to join a small firm called Bennett & Co covering a wide remit of private client law. Sandy enjoyed the small nature of their business, especially as he was financially incentivised for any business he brought to the firm. Sandy told his kids how important Raeburn Place was to him when it came to self-generated business development, as he was kept busy assisting fellow Accies with legal aspects relating to everything from buying houses to drink driving charges!

Sandy joined the firm of Menzies Dougal in 1985, leaving in 2005 to join Murray Beith Murray where he remained until his retirement in 2018. Sandy was a very successful and widely respected solicitor, known for his commercial knowledge, where his expertise in the field of Scottish residential property, especially for ex-pats and foreign nationals, was well known. Sandy pioneered Scottish Property exhibitions in Hong Kong and became the ‘go-to’ for Asian expats looking to invest in Scottish residential property. Latterly, he enjoyed the role of mentoring younger colleagues, which came very naturally to him. He was highly regarded by clients who often became friends and, conversely, many in his wide social circle became clients.

Sandy joined Edinburgh Accies straight after university and enjoyed a very long and illustrious career down at Raeburn Place, where he was very popular both as a player and latterly as a loyal supporter. A good friend and teammate of Sandy’s said: ‘He was a stuffy and committed hooker and played as high up as the 2nd XV occasionally when the club put out 7 sides. I played with him a few times and, although lacking bulk, he was a clever, committed player who would always help when things got tough. In many ways he was a bit like that in work, as a totally trustworthy and hardworking solicitor.’ Another friend said: ‘…he was a reliable hooker who had an uncanny knack of appearing on the wing, at the wrong moment!’ His quick striking in the scrum was legendary, so much so that his nickname was ‘The Cobra’. Rob Blair, the captain of the team back in the mid-70s said: ‘From memory he was selected once for the 1st XV, but on the Thursday night at training we had an issue with the weather and the prop forward and I had to ask him to stand down as we needed more weight in the scrum. He just smiled, said he understood and never mentioned it again. That was the measure of the man.’ After he retired from playing, he was very generous of his time, despite his busy work and family life, and started the now legendary ‘Cobra Tours’, following his beloved Accies to all parts of the country, often by train, and involving a good lunch and several pre and post-match libations! During the last very difficult year of his illness he never lost his sense of humour, and the week after he was coming to terms with the terminal nature of his condition, he received a letter from the Club, that in recognition of his very generous contribution towards the fit-out of the new Accies clubhouse, he was being made a Lifetime Patron Member. As he said to a good friend at the time: ‘for an Aberdonian how ironic is that….!’

Sandy was a past president of the Academical Club and a lifelong Aberdeen FC supporter. When Sir Alex Ferguson moved to coach Manchester United, he began supporting them too, attending matches in more recent years at Old Trafford from time to time with his sons, Alex and Rob.

Very sadly, in 2016 Sandy’s lovely wife, Elaine, became seriously ill. Sandy looked after Elaine with unstinting love and great care during her brave fight, but she sadly passed away in January 2018. The family was devastated, but Sandy as the tough Aberdonian he was, soldiered on stoically and was a rock for the rest of the family.

Sandy latterly travelled extensively to visit his growing family – whether it be Sydney, Singapore or London – and he enjoyed these trips and ‘catch ups’ immensely. He had many interests and supported several charitable causes, including Kidney Research UK.

Sandy’s relaxed manner and interest in people won him many friends. Recently, before the disease took a proper grip, Sandy used to walk with friends in Inverleith Park, pick up a coffee, and chat through old times. He was so brave even as his health deteriorated and never complained. All the fun and interesting chat, although quieter, was still there. He was such a lovely man with an uncanny knack of delivering the funniest one-liners that would burst the bubble of any pompous person or bully – and we will miss him terribly.

Our thoughts and condolences are with Sandy’s many friends and family, especially his children Wiz, Alex and Rob, his grandchildren Emma, Skye, Charlie and Elle, as well as brother Nigel, his sister Vicky and his nephews Jamie, Ed, Tom and Charlie at this sad time.

There will be a Memorial Service at Wardie Parish Church, 29 Primrose Bank, Edinburgh at 2pm on Monday 8th August to which all friends are invited.