John McKelvie

After-Dinner Speaker

John McKelvie is a native of the Lanarkshire village of Holytown. He lives with his wife and two sons in Hamilton. He is presently nearing the end of his career in Strathclyde Police. About five years ago the Chief Constable took John to the side -- and left him there. Until recently he was a Superintendent at Govan -- a quaint little fishing village on the banks of the Clyde!

He joined Lanarkshire Referees Association in 1970 and has often been compared to Hugh Dallas - compared to Hugh Dallas he is brilliant. John referees in the Lanarkshire Amateur and YMCA leagues and officiated at last year's Scotland vs. Ireland Amateur International.

Off-duty his hobbies are jogging, gardening, refereeing and after dinner speaking. Any spare time left is devoted to Fir Park School, Motherwell, a school for children with special learning needs, many of whom have Downs Syndrome. Until recently he served on the school board.

Prior to taking up refereeing he played football at Junior level and once played for Albion Rovers on a trial basis. His feelings and any signing aspirations were somewhat damaged when the then chairman Tom Fagan informed John that he would be "a waste of a seat on the bus to Brechin".

John presently works Monday to Friday in the police and referees on a Saturday. He really looks forward to a Sunday as this is the only day that his parentage is not openly questioned.

Since 1998 he has been a regular on the After Dinner Circuit and has performed at a variety of venues ranging from local establishments to the top hotels throughout Scotland.

His true and extremely funny refereeing anecdotes allied to stories gathered from 29 years in Strathclyde Police continue to enrich and entertain the after dinner circuit and hopefully will do so for many years to come.

Although happy to accept any challenge he specialises in speaking at Sportsman's Dinners, Golf Days, Burns' Suppers and corporate events.

Current Availability

To check availability contact Bill Barclay.