Founders

Janet Henderson

Portrait of Janet with her late husband Mac and arts impresario Ricky Demarco CBE, sitting chatting in front. The photo was taken at the Launch of the Janet and Mac Gallery in 2008.

Janet Henderson was born Janet Millar in Glasgow 's West End , the daughter of one of the city's leading architects, whose three sons also went on to have distinguished careers, in the worlds of journalism, broadcasting and the diplomatic service.

She was educated at St Leonard 's, although in truth she was in no way academically inclined. The formative influences on Janet's life came during the 1930s. Having 'come out' as a deb - albeit the most reluctant deb of the season - Janet spent the pre-war years travelling through Germany , Austria and Switzerland . There she encountered approaches to health and diet quite at odds with those then prevalent in this country, and she brought many of these ideas home with her.

In 1937 she married former Scottish rugby internationalist 'Mac' Henderson, and the couple settled down to farm at Spittalrig in East Lothian . The couple were to have seven children, and after the youngest, Oliver, went to school, Janet found herself in search of new challenges.

Mac Henderson

James McLaren Henderson, Elphinstone School, Tranent, c1914

James McLaren 'Mac' Henderson, who was Scotland's oldest surviving rugby international and a member of the team that won the Triple Crown in 1933, has died aged 101. The doyen of Scottish rugby began an illustrious career in 1927, playing for his old school team, Edinburgh Academicals, the world's second oldest club whose home at Raeburn Place, Edinburgh is famed as the 'Cradle of rugby.'

As a young man he spent almost three years working on sheep stations in New Zealand, herding sheep on horseback and exploring the island's mountains and glaciers in his spare time. He also played regularly for Waipukurau Rugby Club returning to Scotland in 1930 and, while farming with his father at The Knowes near Dunbar, resumed his playing career with Accies.