Sandy Steele was born in the historic Royal Burgh of Culross in 1939. Sandy's father was a miner at the Valleyfield Pit and his mother was an Elder at Culross Abbey. After attending Dunfermline High School he went on to serve as an apprentice engineer before moving on to Reekie's Agricultural in Dunferline when he was eighteen. It was during these years that Sandy develeped his lifelong passion for engineering and machinery.

His entrepreneurial spirit shone through early on when he bought a few old tipper machines and set them to work on a contract he won with Watlings, who were constructing the new sea wall at Culross. He won further work at the construction of the Longannet Power station. By this time he was building his own Cranes and Low loader trailers and had also branched out into demolition work.

The construction of the new Dunkeld by-pass section of the A9 provided another opportunity for Sandy to expand into plant hire, motor scrapers and bulldozers. He kept his yard at Culross until 1970. He purchased the former G&S Motors garage in Cairneyhill and continued his plant hire and heavy plant operations. The purchase of a 125 ton Scammell saw him moving plant and machinery all over the country. In 1973 he moved to Cairneyhill with his family, wife Mary, sons William, Kenneth and Alec and daughter Janice.

In a complete change of direction he converted the garage into a Pub, and in 1977 the Thane O' Fife opened its doors. He sold the pub in 1990 to concentrate on his biggest passion, steam engines.

Sandy was probably best known for his steam engines and was a popular figure throughout Britain with his engines. His passion for steam engines started when he purchased his first steam engine in 1962. Never one to pass up a challenge he bought the engine as scrap and set about restoring it to its former glory. One of his greatest achievements was the restoration of the Dawn of the Century, a 1901 Fowler Showman's engine which he bought in 1979 and spent the next five years restoring. A total of fifteen engines passed through Sandy's workshop over the years.

The Steele family accompanied Sandy right across the country to steam fairs and rallies from Dorset to Aberdeen where they met figures such as Fred Dibnah and many other people who shared Sandy's passion and were 'fired-up' about steam. Not content with just engines, Sandy delighted many people young and old alike with his steam powered Noah's Ark fairground ride which he bought in 1989.

In the latter years of his life, he was often seen at rallies at rallies around his home Fife with his model steam engines including a Foden Steam wagon. He was also likely to be seen in the driving seat of a vintage tractor at rallies across Scotland with son Alec who has inherited his father's passion for all things mechanical.

The Great Dorset Steam Fair was Sandy's high point of the year, with the family taking an annual pilgrimage to the world's largest steam gathering. It was a journey he would take each year where he would happily share his wealth of knowledge with all those who were fortunate enough to meet him. He had a great many friends across the country who shared his passion for steam and whose company Sandy greatly enjoyed.

You may be wondering what the QBE after Sandy's name stands for? Sandy would always laugh when asked and say that he was Qualified By Experience and he more than demonstrated this in his life with his achievements.

His passing in November 2006 marked the final chapter in a remarkable life. It is fitting that while Sandy is sadly no longer with us in a physical sense, his spirit lives on through the many steam engines which he brought back to life over the years.

Mary, Alec and the family would like to thank everyone for their kind words, cards and flowers. It is greatly appreciated.