The drive from Crieff through the Sma’ Glen, then on to Aberfeldy and eastwards through Strathtay to Logierait was a real pleasure on a warm sunny evening in June. The feeling of relaxed contentment continued as I met up with John Robertson at his farm on the outskirts of Logierait.
John has an easy and friendly manner and, as we walked up the drive, the sound of dancing feet pounding on a floor became louder and louder. On the night of my visit there were five fit young ladies working very hard dancing the Irish Jig. Almost every night Jean (nee Swanston) has classes of both male and female students gaining from her vast experience and teaching techniques. (Before her marriage to John Jean was a PE teacher in Edinburgh.)
Jean was a champion highland dancer who started competing in dancing competitions at the age of five and continued until 1991 when she moved from the under 16 Worldwide Panel of judges on to the full panel. At that time she was suffering from a damaged foot and that helped in the decision to stop dancing. (A dancer who has the Scottish Official Board of Dancing Judges test may continue to dance, but may not judge dancers 16 years or older. When the judge stops competing then the move to the full panel to judge any age is automatic. There is no going back on that decision!) So Jean has judged on the full panel since then and has judged the World, Commonwealth, British, Canadian, and American Championships.
Jean’s career has been a long and very successful one. Originally from Leith she would travel by train to all the Highland Games with her mother and father. Crieff was unfortunately an exception however as that railway station had been closed by Dr. Beeching’s axing of many less profitable branch lines.
Apart from winning throughout Scotland and England Jean has won the British, the United Kingdom, All England Open Highland Dance Championships, and was runner up to the champion in the Commonwealth and World Highland Dance championships on more than one occasion. One of the many stories Jean recounted was that, when she was seventeen, she wanted to drive. Her father paid for her lessons on the condition that she would then teach him to drive when she passed. She duly passed her test and true to her word taught her father. When he received his provisional licence he decided to apply for his test and, to his great surprise, received notification that his test was to be the next week. He sat the test but failed and when the examiner told him the bad news, expecting some remorse, Jean’s Dad just said “Ah well, that’s OK, this is only the sixth time I’ve been behind the wheel.” The examiner was lost for words.
Jean first met John when she was collecting sponsorship money from the heavyweight competitors at Blackford Games in 1972. The money was for a sponsored swim to raise money for the Scottish Women’s Volleyball Team. Jean was one of the driving forces, and an active member of the volleyball team, who helped to get the sport of volleyball recognised in Scotland. However she missed John out on her collection round, as she didn’t think he looked as if he had any spare money.
Later that year they met up again at Old Meldrum Games where they began their lifelong partnership. When John asked Jean why she hadn’t approached him for the sponsorship money at Blackford she responded with “I didn’t think that you had any money”. He responded with, “ Aye, you’re right. It’s all running around on four legs!” This was reference to his cattle breeding activities even then.
John Robertson, apart from being an outstanding athlete over many years, is a farmer with a passion for rearing exceptional cattle. He breeds Limousin cross cattle and bred the overall champion at the prestigious Smithfield Show in London in 2002.
John got into competing on the Games circuit as a personal challenge. He was the smallest in stature of three brothers. Both his brothers were involved in the Games and he decided that he would get himself fit for the heavyweight competitions. He did that successfully but in 1967, at the Fettercairn Games, he was asked to run. He competed in the (approximately) 220 yards race against the likes of George Mackie, who played rugby for Scotland (1975, 1976, 1978) and was a recognised sprinter. The race was once round the field and John found himself way out in front from around half way and won the race easily. From then on John ran as well as competing in the local heavyweight events. He could, and can still, often be seen at Crieff rushing from the heavyweight competition throwing off his kilt to take a run up for the high jump, long jump, or start of a race. He is much admired and respected by his fellow athletes and also gives up his limited spare time to be involved in the SGA(Scottish Games Association). In addition he helps young Perthshire heavyweights by attending coaching workshops with his fellow heavyweight athletes where the youngsters learn the techniques required and get real encouragement from men who have competed for many years.
This is an incredible feat and unsurpassed by anyone we suspect. Forty years of competition at Crieff without missing a year and winning many prizes on the way is a very proud achievement.
His first major prize at Crieff was coming third in the handicap sprint. It was the first time that John had run in a handicapped race and he had been harshly handicapped as he was something of an unknown quantity as a runner at the time. The secret of his success was his determination to win and his strict schedule of training every night for many years. His inspiration and mentor was Andrew Hood, a well kent man at Crieff and other Games. Andrew’s son, David, and John ran together frequently and both had many successes.
IIt was Andrew Hood who persuaded John to enter the New Year Sprint at Powderhall in 1973. Interestingly this event (Powderhall) was started in the same year as Crieff Highland Games – 1870. He also persuaded John to go to Ashington near Newcastle, to train for a period of five weeks prior to the sprint event. The first couple of weeks went well for John but, never having been away from home before, the latter weeks were difficult for him due to homesickness. On his return however he managed a very creditable third in the 1973 Powderhall Sprint against fierce competition from all over Scotland. The race carried a purse of £400 for the winner. Nowadays the New Year Sprint is held at Musselborough Race Course and the prize for first place is £4,000.
In 1975 and 1992 John won the 90m event at the New Year Sprint. Amongst John’s many awards are first prizes on three occasions at Braemar Games for high jump, and also for the sprint on three occasions. More recently at Aberdeen in a veterans 100m race in 1999 John recorded 12.2 seconds – no mean feat for a man at that time aged 50. We counted up the events that John had competed in and, on one occasion at Crieff’s Centenary Games, he had competed in no fewer than 18 separate events and won prizes in 17 of them!
It was a real pleasure to meet this great sporting family and they have two sons who have competed on the Games circuit. The elder son, Scott, is now fully occupied as an underwriter in Edinburgh but Craig is still at home working on the farm. He is training hard at home and in Dundee with a view to running well in the under 23 Championships in June at Meadowbank. Unlike his Dad Craig is a 400/800m runner.
It was late when I left the farmhouse but the evening had flown by and the stories were magical. The house is filled with medals and cups and Games memorabilia, along with the many successes in cattle shows around Britain. A nicer family would be hard to meet and the Games has been, and is still, a big part of their lives.
I asked John just before leaving when he would stop competing at the Games. His response was, “2007 – maybe, ….it’s really hard to give up!”. So we might well be able to enjoy John’s presence at Crieff for a few more years yet and wish him well in whatever he decides. You can’t fail to notice John today as he rushes around the arena competing in so many events. Please give him a big cheer, oh, and look out for young Craig Robertson too!
Frank Duncan 31 May 2007