T H E C O V E N A N T E R
Col Leslie Dow) This was a film Donald so important to him and we all know how
watched from time to time and imposed much Findhorn meant to Donald, a place
on unsuspecting friends in a late night, he knew and loved from an early age and
maudlin and sentimental mood. continued to visit until his illness.
Donald was, of course, a proud soldier. We all know of the difficulties of these
His army colleagues were Donald and Jean’s last two years. During that time Donald
firmest friends. Things might have been may have been diminished but he never lost
very different for all of us as Donald was his grin and his, by now, often alarmingly
only an inch away from death when a wheezy chuckle! Sometimes we thought in
soldier’s gun went off by accident and blew the last years or so that laughter would be
a gash in the side of his cheek and removed the end of him. When he started to giggle
a part of his ear lobe. Studying Grubby’s there would be long, long gaps between
scar was a source of fascination to our breaths. His humour stayed with him too.
children. Just recently he and Karen were discussing
In many ways what made Donald a good whether Jeanie might have inherited her
and successful soldier was his fair-minded indecisiveness from Jean. ‘Was Jean ever
character. He was a true gentleman; never indecisive’, asked Karen? There ensued a
over bearing, he gave all around him the long pause, and then, ‘she never did make
space to be themselves. I think that these her mind up!’ In her final illness, Jean kept
qualities were the key to the character of a little book of thoughts that delighted
Donald and Jean’s marriage. What a pair they her. In it she wrote, ‘Happiness is, seeing
were! In their life together, Jean was able to Donald giggle’.
be her ‘planny’, exuberant, hospitable self, I want to pay tribute to Jeanie, Jamie and
organising everyone, shouting at the dogs Kate now, because in their devotion to their
and sometimes at Donald, making their Dad they have been an inspiration and an
home a hub that drew friends and family example to us all. I don’t suppose Jamie
from around the globe. Donald quietly missed a day visiting his Dad, who was his
grinning, waiting for the next party or mentor and his hero. Jeanie and Kate’s lives
invasion of visitors. Theirs was a wonderful revolved around visits to the cottage where
partnership. Donald spent his last couple of years. It
It was Donald’s idea some 30 years ago is a tribute to Donald and Jean’s qualities
to move the family to Balmalcolm. There as parents that they are the close, loving,
is probably not a farm in Scotland that harmonious and amazing people they are.
could better it for location. It was that It wouldn’t do to forget those who nursed
move and his love for the hill that infected Donald these last two years. His carers
everyone else. Donald became synonymous made it possible for Donald to stay out of
with Balmalcolm and Dunsinnan Hill hospital. They did more than tend to him:
to the extent that an article appeared they befriended him and the family. The
once in the New Yorker magazine on the family is particularly grateful to Margaret
legends surrounding Dunsinnan Hill and and to Barbara and to all the team for all
its associations with Macbeth. Donald was they have done.
described as the craggy farmer who seemed Last night we had a party at our wee
to have been quarried from its stones, a true cottage up at Collace. All the family were
successor to Macbeth? Well, perhaps not! there and a few good friends. It was a loud,
Donald loved the land, he loved the hill jolly event, one of several ‘good’ events
and he loved his productive garden (and we have enjoyed at this sad time. A lot of
his Orangery). He was a hugely successful people were saying that Donald and Jean
gardener always producing copious would have approved. Maybe (her green
quantities of vegetables. He was not a slime at bay (I’ll explain that to anyone who
‘tycoon’ sort of farmer. He was an individual, asks later)), they were watching, together
enjoying a sense of place, the productivity once more.
of the soil, the banter with the men and his On a very personal note, I want to say
neighbours, the cattle on the hill. He was that I was very proud to call Donald my
the sort of farmer who, when ploughing, father-in-law. Over the years I have come
would leap from his cab and move an oyster to know some of the reasons why Jeanie,
catcher’s nest, then put it back when the Jamie and Kate were so proud of their
plough had passed. He was one who lived Dad. He welcomed me into the family
in scale to his environment; a quality much and supported me in ways that I will
needed in agriculture today. He engendered always be grateful for. He was a presence,
a similar love and appreciation for the his personality brooded over that part of
land in his children. A sense of place was Scotland I have come to love and to call

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