Woman (100) based in Ross-shire has blazed a trail during remarkable life
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THE remarkable life of a trailblazing woman who lived through the German occupation of Belgium and went on to work at the European Atomic Energy Community after being the first in her family to study at university has been celebrated in Ross-shire on her 100th birthday.
And there were good wishes for Dr Claudine Raulier from not one but two royal families with special greetings sent from both King Charles and King Philippe of Belgium to mark the milestone moment at Fodderty House near Strathpeffer, where she has lived since March of 2021.
Amongst those present with her on the big day was her son, François Raulier.
Dr Raulier (née Fabry) was born on September 22, 1923 in the city of Liège, in the French-speaking part of Belgium, to Marcel and Anna Fabry.
Her father was a civil servant in the city administration and her mother a school teacher.
She lived through the German occupation of Belgium during the war, but that did not stop her attending the Université de Liège to read chemistry. She was the first in her family to go to university.
After the war she obtained her PhD in chemistry and eventually got a job at the then relatively newly established European Atomic agency, EURATOM.
Her job meant that she moved to Paris and it was there that, in 1963, she married Charles Raulier. François, her only child, arrived in 1964.
He said: "My father, Charles, was a Belgian career diplomat and his work took us all over the world, including Hong Kong, London, Kinshasa, Rome and the NATO headquarters in Brussels.
"As she was no longer able to pursue her own career, Claudine went back to academic studies, reading geology at Imperial College, London.
"My parents fell in love with the west coast of Scotland, and the hillwalking it offers, while my dad was posted to London and we ended up spending most holidays there. Claudine had, by then, completed her second degree and combined her new-found knowledge with hillwalking, embarking on a research project, in conjunction with Imperial College, on the geology of the western Highlands and in particular the Torridon area.
"My parents eventually retired to Shieldaig on the west coast. My father died in 2012, but my mum continued to live an independent life until the end of 2020. She moved into Fodderty House in March 2021."
Speculating on the key to her longevity, he said: "My guess is that she will put it down to a regular daily intake of white wine, preferably either from Orvieto in Italy or from Burgundy in France."
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Birthday girl (100) amongst Tain revellers
