There are no better Scots born across the Border than those who hail from London and Arthur, our thirtieth President, whose father was of Scottish birth, was no exception. After school and studies at technical college, he spent seven years with the Vestey organisations London office before coming to Rio on his first contract for them in 1933. He had a spell in Santos after that and settled and got married in São Paulo around 1940. Another "Scottish Accountant”, Arthur was always helping to straighten out the books of one Colony society or another and, in fact, first joined the St Andrew Committee when co-opted to take the place of an ailing Treasurer in 1956. He acted as Honorary Auditor the following year and in the next was co-opted again, this time as Secretary, to fill a vacancy caused by an untimely death. Following this stint, he became Vice-President in 1959 and President in 1960 and was an ex-oficio member of the Committee in 1961.

Arthur generated great cordiality and this together with his capacity for getting things done and his constant good humour made him much sought after for committee work. He took a great interest in The Missions to Seamen during his stay in Santos and he was a founding member of the one flourishing São Paulo branch of Toc H. During the War he helped in the Press Office at the Consulate after his Anglo work was done, and at weekends. A keen sportsman, he played football at one time for the Anglo team and in later years was to be seen regularly swimming at SPAC and on the bowling green and tennis courts there. He collaborated actively in the preparation of the entertainment for our get-togethers, taking part himself in sketches and hunting out material for these. He was an accomplished after dinner speaker and was one of the outstanding figures on the stage in many of SPAC’s Christmas Pantos. Anyone who saw him in the part will always remember his plaintive rendering of "I think of you dear” when, as "Mr Ah Sing”, he wooed the formidable “Widow Twan-Key” in the first revival of Bill Tulk's "Aladdin". But he never did anything better than his double role of “Mister Plimsoll” the consul, and the Cannibal King, in "Robinson Crusoe" some years later.

Arthur left Brazil in 1966 with his wife and daughter to retire in the UK But, unhappily, he was not spared long to enjoy his well-earned rest and he died some eighteen months later.