Kirkcaldy Guardians: Dougie Ovenstone - champion of the underdogs

The fifth bairn of an RAF man, Dougie was born at Catterick Garrison, spending his toddler years in Cyprus before returning at five years old to the family home on Hill Road in Kennoway. He moved to the Lang Toun 15 years ago via Methil, Leven and Upper Largo.

“I met the girl of my dreams, Jane, 28 years ago and she came from Kirkcaldy”, Dougie smiles, “My roots are here and I’ve no wish to be anywhere else,”.

He smiles as he tells me about his own bairns, Reece, Robbie, and Chloe.

Dougie celebrated his 18th birthday as a Butlin’s holiday rep, working in a hotel, papermill and a bookie’s. “If you wanted things you had to work” he comments, before starting at MGt, soothing irate customers, rising to management level. “I found it easy to speak to people,” he says, “I was happy to retire from there,”.

It was family news that altered circumstances

“As a toddler Robbie was diagnosed with Dystonia affecting the muscles and brain,”. Dougie pauses, “It knocked me for six. I’d never come across disability, and I struggled. I wondered why Robbie?’. It made me feel bad about myself.”

By all accounts Robbie, now 19, is doing grand, having been treated with a brain and chest implant which controls much of his dystonia, recently celebrating passing his driving test.

It was a turning point.

“I questioned my own morals. My brother died from a drugs overdose, we grew up in the same house and how I was feeling about Robbie who needed a full-time care, but luckily MGt offered voluntary redundancy. Years later, I still wondered about my reaction,”

Accessing help had barriers.

“I’m working class with three kids. I couldn’t afford counselling. I did an introduction to counselling to help people with disabilities and substance misuse to cope better than I did,”. It was an eye-opener.

“We get wrapped up in our kids, families, friends, workmates, anything but us, I learned,”.

It led to a placement with Fife Alcohol Support Service’s Adapt Substance Services and a job as a counsellor. Dougie was also a member of Nourish Support Centre, a local charity who helps children with disabilities and their families for 10 years, leaving as Chairperson to focus on counselling.

His passion for championing the underdog is clear - “I’m passionate about people getting a chance, regardless of class or background. Someone on universal credits should have access to counselling.”

This has led to a passion for training, “I love teaching Scottish Mental Health First Aid (SMHFA) and Applied Suicide Intervention Skills (ASIST) it gives me so much pleasure and sparks healthy conversations. Why don’t we talk about suicide or death. It’s like counselling for the masses,”.

For anyone wishing to explore counselling, he suggests gently, “Sit down with someone you trust and talk about it. Speak out if you feel it and be real,.”

Asked how locals can help, Dougie asks, “Keep being Kirkcaldy community. Keep sharing services accessible for all on Kirkcaldy Connected and Love Kirkcaldy,”.