At this time, Alastair, who had been two years at the University of
British Columbia and finished his B.A. course at Queens University, Belfast,
and taken a theological course at Assembly's College, Belfast, and New
College, Edinburgh, became Minister of Bovevagh Presbyterian Church. In 1938
he married Katherine Elizabeth Sloan, daughter of Richard Sloan, Minister of
the neighbouring congregation at Balteagh. They had three sons: William
Sloan in 1939, Desmond Harden in 1946, and David Rowan White in 1949. During
the second war, Alastair served as a chaplain in the Royal Air Force in Iraq
for two years, in the Western Desert for one year, and in the Outer Hebrides
at Benbecula for a year. After demobilisation from the R.A.F. in 1946 he
took over the farming of the land at Templemoyle which had been let in
conacre each year since about 1912. He resigned from Bovevagh Church in 1953
and with his family moved to Templemoyle, thus fulfilling a cherished hope
of his grandfather, William, that the farm should continue in the name of
MacLurg. When William's sons had both emigrated to Canada he tried to
interest Will to come back to Templemoyle. When Will was killed in 1916 he
tried to persuade his son Alexander to send one of his younger sons to grow
up at Templemoyle but they were only children at that time.
Alastair, who became President of the Ulster Farmers Union in 1961-62, took
a full time position as an Assistant Secretary at the Union Headquarters in
Belfast in 1966. He moved with Katie and David to Lisburn to be convenient
for this work. Katie, who had a degree from Queens University became a
Lecturer in English in the Technical College in Lisburn.
Alastair died on 24 April 2002 in the City Hospital in Belfast.
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