Ian Forbes Herd died at home in October 2011 after a lengthy illness. Ian was born in Edinburgh on 15 April 1954. The family moved to Falkirk where Ian and his younger brother Douglas were educated at Wallacestone Primary School and Falkirk High School.

In 1972 Ian attended Edinburgh University Dental School, graduating in 1977. During his time at Edinburgh he met and married Ann. Ian joined Jimmy Kinniburgh in practice at Grangemouth where he remained all of his working life.

At the same time Ian was taking a leading role first in Polmont Rotaract and then in Grangemouth Round Table. By this time two children, Kirsty and Christopher, had arrived and he took great delight in them whilst managing to pursue his two other pastimes, golf and cars.

In the space of two weeks in 1998 Ian's life changed dramatically when his partner Jimmy died and Ian had an accident which broke his ankle. After a long struggle this resulted in the loss of Ian's ankle and although this changed things he did not allow it to stop his passion for life.

Ian was the visiting dentist at Polmont Young Offenders Institute for 25 years. He became chairman of the Stirling and Clackmannan section of the BDA and then the lure of dental politics arrived and he became chairman of the LDC, ADC and area clinical forum of Forth Valley Health Board.

He found time to complete a clinical attachment in orthodontics and become a vocational trainer. Such was the influence on training that the local health board inaugurated a prize, 'The Herd Medal', in honour of Ian and his brother, who predeceased him, to be awarded for a case presentation to a VDP and also to a DCP for the best performance in the national exam.

Ian and his partner Alistair Bryden had recently extended their premises to include a state of the art decontamination unit and were rightly proud of their achievement.

Ian will be missed by his colleagues and the patients whom he cared for over 30 years. He leaves his wife Ann and children Kirsty and Christopher.