One of Fife’s most prominent businessmen, who was also a leading breeder of Aberdeen-Angus cattle, has died at the age of 83. Rae Grieve, of Carlhurlie, Lundin Links, died in Victoria Hospital, Kirkcaldy, after a long illness.

Born and brought up in the mining village of East Wemyss and educated at Buckhaven High School, Mr Grieve studied agriculture in Edinburgh before joining the then National Coal Board where he set up a planned maintenance scheme for every single item of plant and equipment in the East Fife collieries.

With the coal industry in deep decline, he joined Associated Electrical Industries who were building two large plants at Kirkcaldy and Glenrothes to manufacture telecommunications equipment and as organisation and project engineer was closely involved in the recruitment of 3000 employees for the plants.

When the project phase was completed, he was offered promotion to move to Coventry but decided to remain in Fife, joining builders, George Wimpey and Co. This was the start of his long involvement in the building industry in Fife and further afield. With his farming connections, he was instrumental in expanding Wimpey’s land bank at an unprecedented rate which resulted in the rapid growth of the company’s house building programme throughout Scotland.

His farming interests started with the purchase of his house at Carlhurlie, followed by the near-by Annfield Farm, where in 1990 he established what has become one of the leading Aberdeen-Angus herds in the country.

The herd’ successes over the years have included three supreme championships and top prices at the famous Perth sales (now moved to Stirling), two championships at the Scottish Winter Fair, “champion of champions” in the beef cattle section at the Royal Highland Show and many championship successes at local shows.

Only two months ago, at the Stirling bull sales, the supreme champion was bought on his behalf for the top price of 24,000gns at the new stock bull for the Carlhurlie herd.

Mr Grieve hunted with the Fife Foxhounds for many years and was clerk of the sales at the Fife point-to-point for 30 years until 2006. His presence will be missed at the next point-to-point meeting on April 23.

Mr Grieve’s funeral will take place at Largo and Newburn Parish Church on Thursday, April 21, at 12.45pm