Meeting of the Parliament (Hybrid)

Meeting date: Tuesday, March 22, 2022

Official Report 1001KB pdf

David Hill

All of us in Parliament are shocked and deeply saddened at the sudden loss of our colleague, David Hill, who died on Saturday while representing the Parliament, playing rugby in Dublin. I invite Jamie Greene to say a few words.

Thank you, Presiding Officer.

Friends and colleagues, we politicians like to speak, but this is one speech that I would rather not be making. The news of the sudden passing of our friend and colleague, David Hill, came as a shock to every one of us, but the outpouring of messages of condolence has also been overwhelming. I hope that reading the many messages of kindness from across the political spectrum and watching today’s proceedings bring some comfort to his family.

David Ross Hardie Hill was born on 17 April 1991. He passed away on Saturday afternoon, doing what he loved—playing rugby with his friends. David was a people person and a true gentleman. He was kind, generous, respected and well liked. He was a friend to all, and our thoughts are with not only his family but those close friends who were enjoying his company on that rugby trip to Ireland. It is a trip that I joined him on just a few years ago, so I know how much fun and camaraderie they will all have shared this weekend.

It might be a cliché, but David really was one of the genuinely nice guys of this world. He was a huge rugby fan and was one of the founding members of this Parliament’s rugby team. As it so often does, sport brings together people with differences of opinion and views, and it forges unlikely friendships and alliances.

David played scrum half for the Parliament, the Dumfries Saints and the University of Dundee rugby club. He followed our Scottish national team with passion both as a season ticket holder at Murrayfield and away on trips to England, Ireland and Italy, cheering them on in their wins and defeats with equal passion.

David was a bagpiper. I did not know that when I first met him. I recall once telling him that I was never overly fond of the bagpipes. “I am sure you are most excellent,” I said. He smiled back wryly and politely, in his usual way, thinking plenty but saying nothing.

David was an enthusiastic golfer and a Manchester United fan, but politics was his passion. He attended St Michael’s primary school and St Joseph’s college in Dumfries, and went to the University of Dundee to study politics and international relations.

Since graduating, David has been a stalwart of the Scottish Conservative Party for almost a decade. He campaigned with, organised and helped with the better together campaign in the referendum. He was a campaigner with David Mundell. During the most recent Scottish Parliament election, he was part of the team of our party leader, Douglas Ross, driving him around from place to place, then donning his blue jacket with a leaflet bundle in one hand and probably tweeting and taking pictures with the other.

David was head of office for many years for Tom Mason, one of our retired MSPs. He helped Annie Wells when she was short of staff and Sandesh Gulhane when he first joined us.

Most recently, David was my head of office, taking over from another good egg, Andrew Brown. We often spend more time with our staff here than we do with our families and friends. I am sure that my endless team WhatsApp messages drove David to utter distraction, but he never—ever—once complained.

Our staff are always there for us. They shield, support and humour us, and they do so with the sort of humility and patience that I can only aspire to. We cannot do the job that we do without them—I know that that is a story that will be familiar to all members in the chamber.

Our grief is not unique, and our thoughts and prayers are with David’s family: his father, Rodger; his mother, Sharon; his step-parents, Lesley and Gordon; his siblings, Alex and Georgia; and his two nephews, Freddie and Hunter. They were all special to him, and he to them.

I take great comfort in the words of David’s father, who I spoke to on Saturday, in our first exchange after learning the awful news. Rodger said:

“David was living his best life.”

Is that not the highest accolade or aspiration for any of us? He was taken from us living his best life and doing what he loved with people he loved.

When I arrived at my desk this morning, I found that some kind soul had placed a vase of daffodils on David’s desk. They are a visual reminder that the gloom of winter does and will pass. I pray that the passage of time will ease the pain of those who are grieving today.

When we applaud David in response to the remarks that are spoken today, let us applaud each and every one of our own respective teams, too.

David’s legacy will be his passion for crossing political boundaries and divisions with no motivation other than simply to be kind. That is a lesson that we could all learn. Let us be kind and friendly to one another, as David was to us. Let us all be a little more like David as we go about our business.

We will all miss him dearly. [Applause.]