Willie Robertson

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Sheer privilege and delight

This eulogy was delivered at his funeral by son Drew Robertson at Cavers and Kirton Parish Church on Friday, 21 March, 2003

AS we say goodbye to a man we all had great feelings for there are so many entertaining, amusing and strange stories that will be conjured up from the recesses of ALL our minds about Robbie, better known to some as Willie or William.

To me, his fifth born and middle child, I feel humbled, very privileged and granted great honour to speak on this sad, yet celebratory day. And to say he was, simply to me, a superstar.

It is a very personal view about my father. who showed warmth, generosity, compassion and friendship. And that legacy lives on through his grandchildren.

On Monday evening, one of his grandchildren, not one of my children - a niece to me, who he loved so dearly like all his grandchildren was cuddling a toy and innocently remarked, without knowledge of his death, "he's cuddly, just like Grandad Robbie".

What a great mark to be able to make on just one little person's life?

Yet he made a significant mark on so many others.

To reflect on a man who gave such unconditional love to many it reminds of a Biblical passage (from Corinthians)...

Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful; it is not arrogant or rude.

Love does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right.

Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Love never ends; as for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away.

For our knowledge is imperfect and our prophecy is imperfect; but when perfect comes, the imperfect will pass away.

When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became a man, I gave up childish ways.

For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face.

Now I know in part; then I shall understand fully, even as I have been fully understood.

So faith, hope, love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

A short thought for us all!

As a fellow journalist, my father was an idol - having risen from nowhere, in terms of journalistic pedigree, to the height of his profession.

He started in newspapers as a teenager on the 15th July, 1947 at the Edinburgh Evening News and, strangely by a sequence of events, that career ended shortly AFTER his death by the publication of his obituary that he wrote himself some years ago because Robbie, or Willie, and I had to chronicle our working lives.

His life was a circular journey, if you like, and it encompassed mixing so many experiences from handling world events as a reporter and production journalist on Fleet Street to editing at the pinnacle of newspapers and even personally advising world leaders.

I am proud of those achievements.

One of Willie's colleagues at The Times described him yesterday as "a genius" and, he said, I do not use the word lightly".

It was his colleague and deputy who said that Willie and himself were regarded as the journalistic Cloughie and Taylor.

My greatly loved father, in his latter years a chocolate eating, beer-drinking vegetarian, did more with his life than most of us could dream of.

Isn't it great to see his legacy live on through the eyes, minds and inspiration of his grandchildren?

To have met Robbie, or Willie, and touched his life was a pleasure.

To count him among friends was a privilege but to have him as a father, to me his son, was an unbelievable delight!!!!!!!!!!!

I am so proud of you, Robbie.

Speaking for me, and his children, grandchildren, relatives and friends who are of like minds, I think he has earned his rest in peace with his eyes looking over the Borders hills!

We would be delighted to include your memories.
Please send you e-mails to lovingmemories@robertsonmedia.co.uk