Thursday, March 28, 2024
1Retired Scottish painter has world’s neatest handwriting

Retired Scottish painter has world’s neatest handwriting

By Michael MacLeod

A SCOTS pensioner has been crowned the world handwriting champion.

Ron Gordon, 78, of Aberdeen, has such a steady hand that many would struggle to distinguish it from newsprint.

Now the retired painter and decorator is using his world title as an excuse to get out of odd jobs in the house.

He said: “I keep saying to my wife that I can’t do a certain job in case I damage my hands.”

Modest Ron says his writing was not always the best, so he decided to go to classes to shape up his scribbles.

And he enjoyed it so much that he followed his teacher’s lead and became a calligraphy teacher.

He confessed he only entered the New York-based Hand Writing for Humanity world championships for fun.

He said: “I was surprised and really happy to win. I wasn’t expecting to win and only entered for the fun of it.

“I just looked up the website and there was my name staring me in the face.

“Before I developed an interest in it I just scrawled and scribbled like everybody else.”

But Ron decided to neaten his notes while working as a lecturer at Aberdeen College 30 years ago.

He added: “That was how it started and latterly I ended up teaching calligraphy at Harlaw Academy for 13 years.

“Now that I’m world champion I have told my wife June that I can no longer do household chores.”

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