Scotland’s Oldest and Newest City

John Hulbert was brought up in St Andrews, and studied medicine in Edinburgh. He worked first in medical research, and then was a general practitioner for over 30 years. He lives with his wife in the Perthshire village of Longforgan.Elected to Perth & Kinross Council in 1995, he served as Provost from 2007 to 2012. As Provost he coordinated Perth’s 800th anniversary celebrations, and led the successful campaign to restore City Status, which had been unceremoniously removed in 1975.He is active in several Perth organisations, being chairman of the Friends of St John’s Kirk of Perth, an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Scottish Geographical Society, an Honorary Friend of the Black Watch Castle and Museum, and an Officer of the Order of St John. In 2013 the President of Poland awarded him the Knight’s Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland, for developing good relations between Perth and Poland.Drawing on the knowledge he gained as Provost, he published Perth: A Comprehensive Guide for Locals and Visitors in 2014. It was the first illustrated guide book for Perth.

• Acknowledgements 8 Preface 9 Chapter One IntroductionChapter Two Ancient Capital of Scotland Chapter Three History of City Status in the United Kingdom Chapter Four Developing the Strategy Chapter Five The first application and the Westminster dinner Chapter Six 2010 – The year of Perth800: Civic Events Chapter Seven Building the momentum for City Status Chapter Eight The second application Chapter Nine Unexpected Government ‘U’ Turn Chapter Ten The Final Push Chapter Eleven City Status Achieved: The Announcement, The Celebrations and The Award Chapter Twelve Unfinished Business – the Lord Provostship Chapter Thirteen The Legacy Chapter Fourteen Beyond City Status Index

We have John Hulbert to thank for getting us here through his diligent leadership of this campaign. - From the Foreword by Pete Wishart MPRich with local and national history, and with chapters looking forward to the future of Perth, the book, complete with colour photographs, will appeal to historians, visitors and locals alike. - The Courier