FIREFIGHTERS are tackling a major blaze at a large countryside house in the Borders, writes Bob Burgess.

Crews were alerted shortly before 12.20pm to the fire at Fairnielee House near Clovenfords about six miles from Galashiels.

Teams of firefighters from the Borders have been joined by specialised units from Edinburgh.

The first crew on scene immediately called for more appliances and the fire has broken through a roof on the second floor of the detached building.

In addition to the specialised teams, five pumping appliances are being used.

Police have confirmed that there are no reports of anyone being injured.

A SECOND-timer is taking part in perhaps the world’s most famous marathon in New York next month.

Scottish Borders Council IT official Keith King is running for his mum Muriel, of Russell Place, Selkirk, who has had Parkinson’s disease for more than 25 years.

Between them, Keith and his brother Struan have raised thousands of pounds for the research and support charity Parkinson’s UK.

Keith said: “I’m really excited about the start. When you look online and see the pictures, it looks fantastic and I’m looking forward to running down past Central Park. It’s one of the most iconic races and it’s the biggest mass participation marathon - they’re talking about 50-60,000 people doing it this year.”

What will spur him on is running for Parkinson’s UK. “It doesn’t help my mum in particular, but it goes into a big pot and will help others in the UK, which is good.”

The 42-year-old, who lives in Galashiels, continued: “The fact that I can run and do these things and that Mum can’t: to be running for somebody who can’t is quite touching, if that’s the right word.”

Proud dad, community councillor Ian, said: “The more awareness we can raise the more people chip in and help make the effects of this devastating disease easier.”

Keith’s first marathon was last year in Edinburgh when he vowed “Never again”! He and his midwife wife Becca fly out to New York in about a week for the race on Sunday, November 4. To donate, go to www.virginmoneygiving.com and type in Keith King in the ‘what’s your friend’s name’ box to get to Keith’s ‘Keith versus the 2012 New York Marathon’ fundraising page.

Bedrule

WHIST: There is a whist and dominoes on November 5 at 7.30pm in Bedrule Hall.

Christmas Market: Local food can be ordered at the village Hall on Sunday (November 4), 2-5pm for collection form the hall just before christmas! Proceeds to hall funds. For more information, contact Gill 01450 870506.

Blainslie

AGM: Blainslie Village Hall, November 8, 7.30pm.

Bowden

Christmas Fayre: The fayre will be held in Bowden Village Hall on Saturday, 10am-12.30pm. Stalls will include charities, toys and fancy goods, woodcarving, jewellery, bakehouse, homemade cards, photographs and handmade cushions.

Broomlands

SWRI: The Group K Rally was on October 16. All eight Rural’s in the group were represented. The evening took the form of a team Call My Bluff led by Robert Pratt and members from Kelso North Church. The winners, table 5, donated their prize of £25.00 to the Margaret Kerr Appeal and a further £25.00 was donated to the panel for Kelso North Funds. Supper was provided by the members of Broomlands Rural.

Earlston

WRI: Witches and ghosts were the theme for the October meeting. A murder story, narrated by Trish Grierson, and dooking for apples caused much laughter. Winners of the competition were: pumpkin lantern – 1 Edith Cockburn, 2 Alex Grierson; treacle scones – 1 Heather Smith, 2 Rachel McKenzie. The next meeting is in Hanover and it will be hands on with Christmas in mind. All welcome.

Craft Night: Takes place in the former police station post tonight (November 1), 7-9pm. Bring unfinished craft projects or start something new. All welcome.

WEDNESDAY CLUB: The hostess, Agnes Penman, introduced a film of Scottish views with songs by Smailholm singer, Andrew Fairley. Members of the Women’s Guild and WRI joined us for our 42nd birthday party. A collection was made for Border Cancer Care. Competitions, gents – tie pin Jim Scott; ladies – Scottish brooch, members: 1 Ena Scott, 2 M. Campbell, 3 I. Keddie; guests: Ruth Scoular. The birthday cake was cut by a long-standing members, Alice Gilchrist.Our annual coffee morning is on Saturday (November 3) 10am in Hanover Close, Earlston. Donations of baking for sale and raffle prizes welcome. There will be no meeting on November 7 as the shopping trip is that day. The next meeting in the hall is on November 21 when the competitions will be: ladies: pretty earrings, gents: cuff links “

PARISH CHURCH: Sunday service at 10.15am will be led by John Burns. The Remembrance Day service on November 11 will be at 9.30am followed by an act of Remembrance in the square at 11am. The session meeting is at 7pm on November 13.

SHOEBOX APPEAL: Please return filled Blythswood Care Shoebox Appeal boxes by Sunday.

WOMEN’S GROUP: Today (November 1) at 8pm in the church hall the speaker will be Katriona Goode on A Garland of Poems, poems written by her late mother Kristin MacEwan put into a book and sold to raise funds for polycystic kidney disease.

Camera Club: John Peters spoke on enhancing images for oneself or competition. He judged the competition “Contre-jour”, results: projected images: 1 Curtis Welsh, 2 Helen Pugh-Cook, 3 Adam Drummond; prints 1 and 2 Adam Drummond, 3 Curtis Welsh. At the next meeting, on October 31, the speaker Glyn Sattersley – 7.30pm, Earlston Primary School.

Ettrickbridge

Bonfire and fireworks: Torchlight procession leaves Kirkhope Primary School at 6pm on Saturday (November 3). Tickets £2.00 per person, available from Kirkhope Primary School in advance or at the event. Homemade soup, hot dogs, crisps juice and glow-sticks for sale. Please do not bring sparklers because of choking hazard for cattle in the field after the event.

Galashiels

ROTARY: The club ran a charity shop in Galashiels town centre for three days recently. Rotary and Inner Wheel members, selling bric-a-brac and collectibles, and raising more than £800 for community projects including youth activities. Rotarians are grateful to those who donated to and bought from the shop and specially grateful to Phil Macari for allowing use of the premises.

Camera Club: After an introduction to the basics of night photography by Ian Oliver, members set off to downtown Gala to try out their technique, assembling later at a pub to compare notes. Next week we will show the SPF portfolio instead of the proposed quiz night.

PROBUS: The Galashiels Probus Club sent 21 members to a joint meeting at the Hawick club. Members heard a talk by Juline Baird, assistant archivist, on the work and facilities of Hawick Heritage Hub, the Scottish Borders Archive and Local History Centre. The next meeting is on November 8 at the Kingsknowes Hotel at 10am.

Hawick

Rotary Club: The vice-President Scott Elliot welcomed visitors from Selkirk Rotary Club, president Douglas Forsyth and Herbert and Joy Chatters. The speaker was Hawick High School S1 pupil David Chipakupaku, 12, who has been involved in choral singing for five years and spoke of his involvement in the Scottish Youth Choir.David thanked the club for the help they gave him to attend the course. Grocery draw: 1 (£100) J Brown; 2 (£50) V Suddon; 3 (£25) Cameron Stitt.

Camera Club: Mike Reynolds of Galashiels gave an illustrated talk, “A small camera is better than a long memory”. He showed the versatility and picture quality available with compact cameras. The second monthly competition Landscape/Seascape will be on November 8 with Stephen Scott as judge.

Bridge Club: October 22 – 1 J. & M. Miller, 2 P. Gilligan & M. Millar, 3 S. White & J. Urquhart, 4= M. Tuson & R. Witherington; J. Henderson & M. Bowie. October 24 – SBU simultaneous pairs: 1 K. Auckland & R. Witherington, 2= P. Gilligan & M. Millar; V. Johnstone & P. Learmonth, 4 A. Trueman & P. Simpson.

Heiton

flower show AGM: Heiton Village Hall, November 12, at 6pm. New committee members welcome.

Innerleithen

Coffee Morning: The civic association will hold a coffee morning in the Vale Club on November 10, 10am-noon. Money raised will go to the Christmas Lights fund.

SENIOR CITIZENS’ COFFEE MORNING: The coffee morning will be on Saturday (November 3) in the Vale Club, 10am-noon. Stalls, including cake and candy and a raffle. Any donations would be gratefully received.

St Ronan’s Future Band: The band thanks everyone who contributed at the recent coffee morning. About £480 was raised for the development of the young musicians.

COUNTDOWN CLUB: The club will meet on November 14 and 28 in Innerleithen Church Hall at 10.30am.

MUSIC FESTIVAL: There is an open invitation to the AGM is on November 20 at 7:30pm in thefunction Room at the Vale ClubThe main business of previous minutes, reports and election of committee members will be complete by about 8pm and discussions for next year’s event will follow. Contact Pam Fraser, Chair of Innerleithen Music Festival organising committee, for more information 830146

Switched On Sunday: Plans for the December 9 event are taking shape – let us know if you plan to open your shop, put on an event or have other idea. The Cubs, Tweedvale Pipe Band, St. Ronan’s Silver Band, the Opera, St. Ronan’s School Choir, Bill & Stewart and Tweeddale Folk Group will be performing. There will be a Fancy Dress competition, Christmas Shop Window competition, the Town Treasure Trail, Kick Common Ridings, Pump Track, Pony Rides, Get Crafty, Bookbug Rhymetime and much more. The next Switched On meeting is at the Union Club on November 15 at 7.30pm.

Jedburgh

PROBUS: Local author Doug Jackson was the speaker at the recent meeting. Doug spoke about his five books with a Roman theme and his two thrillers under the penname James Douglas.

Churches Together: One World Week was celebrated with a Sunday lunch in the Kenmore Halls where the speaker was Dr Dorothy Logie, who spoke on her work and that of health professionals from the Borders General Hospital at the St Francis Hospital in Zambia. A retiring collection raised £160 for the work in Zambia.

Christmas Fayre: Howdenburn Primary School is holding a fayre on November 9, 7- 9pm – start your Christmas shopping. Fruit punch and mince pies, £1 entry, children free.

Elvis tribute: Girl Guides will be holding an Elvis tribute night with Robbie West in the Royal British Legion on Saturday (November 3) at7.30pm. Tickets £7.00 available from all Guiders and many shops.

ROTARY CLUB: Following the refurbishment of the Laidlaw Memorial swimming pool in Jedburgh the club has donated a chair to lift disabled people in and out of the pool. The money was raised from club funds and with car-boot sales by the club members’ wives. The speaker at the meeting was Agnes Ritchie, district chair of the international committee who told of the many ways Rotary responds to disasters. The club discussed the proposed changes to the organisation of Rotary districts in Scotland.

Kelso

Kelso Museum: AGM and talk by Dr Chris Bowles on Coldingham Priory, Wednesday, November 7, 7.30pm, in the Abbey Row Community Centre.

Horticultural Society: Annual autumn exhibition, Tait Hall, on Saturday (November 3). Doors open 1pm; presentation of prizes 4pm. Admission: adults £1.50, children 50p. Teas, sales table and raffle, with entries including chrysanthemums, pot plants, vegetables, fruit, floral art, honey, industrial and junior sections.

Bridge club: October 24, SBU simultaneous pairs – N/S: 1= David Harris-Burland & Ruth MacKay and Alex Jeffrey & Joc Dun, 3 Joyce Thomson & Helenor Pratt; E/W: 1 Lee Leeson & John Hayton, 2 Bob Stevenson & Annie Mitchell, 3 John & Marian Miller. October, 25 Calchou Cup 3 – N/S: 1 Bob Stevenson & Lee Leeson, 2 Rena Stewart & Val Johnstone, 3 Brian Saywood & Evelyn Erskine; E/W: 1 Annie Mitchell & Pat Sloan, 2 Alison Darling & Mary Logan, 3 John & Marian Miller.

Friends of Kelso Museum: The annual meeting is on November 7 at 7.30 in the Abbey Row Community Centre. Dr. Chris Bowles will speak on Coldingham Priory.

Rotary Club: Millie Hunter recounted her recent stay in Cuba, organised by the Borders Exploration Group supported by a contribution from Rotary Club of Kelso. The exploration group aims to raise awareness of environmental concerns and to educate young people in understanding other cultures.

Dry Bar: See Yetholm

Table Tennis: See Yetholm

Langholm

Accordion club: Compere Adam Grant welcomed a good turnout to the accordion and fiddle club in the Royal British Legion clubrooms.The guests were the well-known duo, Duncan Black, accordion, and Marie Fielding, fiddle. There were fewer musicians than usual as a number had headed to the Shetland accordion and fiddle club weekend. On accordion were Newbie Park and Les Hurst from Carlisle, James Lawrie from Gilsland and local player Roger Dobson. Ian Wood from Northumberland played the fiddle, and local Robert Willans was on the drums.

Probus club: Vice-president Jack Rae welcomed 24 members to the meeting in the Eskdale Hotel. He outlined a suggestion to celebrate the Club’s 30th anniversary in July with a lunch with invited speakers, and he asked for suggestions from the members.

Lauder

Sinatra tribute: Frank Sinatra tribute evening, Lauder Public Hall, November 10. Crooning for your delight will be Michael Hunter, who will also talk about Old Blue Eyes. There will be an auction. BYOB. Tickets from Lauder Trading Post (shop in public hall), or Carol Bachelor (01578 722291), Dave Budd (01578 722704) or John Mackay (01578 722703). The ticket includes interval refreshments and nibbles. The concert starts at 7.30pm prompt.

Gift Fair: A gift fair for the Marie Curie Charity is being held on Saturday (November 3) 10am-4pm at the Lodge at Carfraemill. A wide selection of gifts and crafts to get the Christmas shopping started! Admission £3, children free, refreshments.

shoeboxes: All shoeboxes for Blythswood Care must be handed in to Carfraemill by Tuesday (November 6) 11am for collection.

Maxton

Gaelic in the Borders: Fiddle-player and Gaelic singer Rona Wilkie, BBC Scotland Young Traditional Musician of the Year, is playing at the first meeting of the new session on Friday (November 2) in Maxton Village Hall. The event starts at 7.45pm. Fàilte oirbh uile - everyone welcome!.

Melrose

Literary society: Guest speaker Marjorie Gavin examined the life and literary achievements of her ancestor, Denholm-born John Leyden. Precociously intelligent, he moved to Edinburgh, contributing to leading literary periodicals and publications, including Scott’s Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border. At the next meeting, on November 6, Dr Sarah Carpenter of the department of English at the University of Edinburgh will discuss the works of Sir David Lyndsay, the 16th century Scottish courtier, poet and satirist. On November 13, the Society joins with Melrose Historical Association to hear about Walter Scott from Dr Sandra McNeil, head of learning and development at Abbotsford. Visitors are welcome at both meetings.

Parish chuRch: Activities: November deadline for Blythswood Shoe Boxes fast approaching; MS and Arthritis Research would each receive £578.90 from the recent concert – thanks all round; Sunday services: Bowden 9.30am, Melrose 10am family service, 11am morning worship; November 9 and 10, Traidcraft Christmas Sale; church office open Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday 10am-1pm.

Trimontium lecture: Colin Wallace, research fellow at Liverpool University, focused, in the last autumnTrimontium Lecture on what early collectors made of ancient finds. People in collector Sir Walter Scott’s time had difficulty in identifying objects and more in dating them. In the library at Abbotsford was one of the best-known items of Iron Age metalwork (in bronze) – the pony-cap from a moss at Torrs, Kirkcudbrightshire. One study suggests it is a modern fabrication from separate (ancient) parts.

Morebattle:

Coffee Morning: The Guide Dogs for Blind coffee morning in the Village Hall on Saturday raised £260. Competition winners: jar of sweets, Finn McEwan, plant,Annie Smith, box of biscuits, , lucky number, John Mabon.

Guild: The next meeting takes the from of a members’ formal evening in the institute this evening (November 1) at 7.30pm. Arrangements for the 125th anniversary of the Guild and other items of business will be discussed.

Fishing Social: The annual fishing club social was held in the Templehall on Saturday night when a lovely meal was enjoyed by about 40 people attended and Mary Pringle presented the cups, Music was supplied by Vic James.

WRI: PC Ruaridh Hamilton gave a talk on wildlife crime in Border area. Competition winners – tea light holder: 1 Marie France Taylor, 2 Mary Pringle, 3 Brenda Dickson; best piece of advice received: 1 Catherine Mabon, 2 Marie France Taylor, 3 June Bell.

Reading Competition: The heat for the reading aloud competition was held in the institute when 6 teams took part: 1 Yetholm, 2 Heiton, 3 Morebattle (2) team which consisted of Margaret Blackmore, Margaret Pederson and Brenda Dickson. The three teams go through to the final in Denholm on November 19.

Dry Bar: See Yetholm

Table Tennis: See Yetholm

Newcastleton

Coffee morning: A well attended coffee morning in the village hall in aid of the church fabric fund and raised £541, with some expenses still to be deducted.

Oxton

Gift Fair: A gift fair for the Marie Curie Charity is being held on Saturday (November 3) 10am-4pm at the Lodge at Carfraemill. A wide selection of gifts and crafts to get the Christmas shopping started! Admission £3, children free, refreshments.

shoeboxes: Blythswood Care shoeboxes must be handed in to Carfraemill by Tuesday (November 6) 11am for collection.

Selkirk

CAMERA CLUB: Last week the second club competition, on action and movement, was judged by Grant Kinghorn. Results – colour prints:1 J. Fair, 2 M. McKinney, 3 W. McCulloch; B&W prints: 1 H. Gray, 2 TBA, 3 B. Johnstone; projected images: 1 M.Reynolds, 2 B. Johnstone, 3 B. Johnstone. Next week there will be a presentation on black and white photography by Pat Rafferty. Members should bring entries for the next club competition, theme “Close Up”. There will be no meeting on the November 14, the evening of the annual agricultural competition at Galashiels.

St Boswells

coffee morning: St Boswells Guides are holding a coffee morning on Saturday from 10am in the village hall, with cake and candy, raffle, bottle, and Christmas crafts stalls. The Brownies will have a stall.

CHRISTMAS SHOPPING NIGHT: In St Boswells Village Hall, Friday, November 9, from 7-9.30pm. Stalls run by local businesses will offer gifts including beauty products, cards, books, stocking fillers, clothing, jewellery etc. £2 entry includes a glass of mulled wine and mince pie. In aid of the nursery, playgroup and toddler group.

Yarrow

WHIST: There will be a whist drive in Yarrowfeus Hall on November 7 at 7.30pm in aid of Ettrick and Yarrow Kirk fabric fund. All welcome

Yarrowford

WHIST DRIVE: Yarrowford Hall was the venue for a fundraising whist drive last week in aid of Fresh Start Borders. Winners: ladies – 1 Marion Finlay, 2 Jean Turner, 3 Greta Middlemass; gents – 1 Richard Scott, 2 Bruce Lawrie, 3 Dan Young. Consolation prizes: Frances Scott and Drew Hogg. Thanks to all who donated items for the teas and raffle prizes. £145 was raised to support Fresh Start, who provide starter packs for families moving into permanent tenancies after homelessness.

THANK YOU: Yarrowford Village Hall would like to say a big thank you to everyone who supported the Macmillan Cancer Care’s World’s Biggest Coffee Morning – £941.26 was raised. Also a big thank you to everyone who helped on the day.

SWRI: The AGM committee was elected as follows: president Margaret Robinson, vice-president Margaret Watson, secretary Evelyn Horsburgh, treasurer Hannah Young, Committee, Linda Bradshaw, Annie Coltherd, Betty Fraser, Margaret Glendinning, Gill Kerr, Jean Scott. The trophy for the previous season’s competitions was won by Hannah Young with Jean Scott and Annie Coltherd joint runners up. The cup for most entries was won jointly by Linda Bradshaw and Pauline Birse. The next meeting is the November 13when Hannah Young will give a spinning demonstration. Competition is two pieces of traybake.

Yetholm

Yetholm and Linton Churches: On Sunday, the nearest to All Saints Day, the names of those who have died over the past year will be read out at both churches as an act of remembrance. In future years invitations will be made to the 
next of kin to attend these 
services but this year as notice is short invitations are by press or poster.

IAN HARDIE: Many Yetholm residents were saddened to hear of the death of Ian Hardie who lived for a number of years in Kirk Yetholm when he practised law in Kelso. He was very much involved in community life in Yetholm.His great love was folk music. – he played the fiddle and wrote tunes many of which bore local names.Ian later moved to Nairn.

BUSINESS FORUM: Yetholm Community Council held a meeting was held in the village to discuss the possibilty of forming a Yetholm business forum.All local businesses were invited and there was a good turn out. Further meetings are planned.

BOTTLE BANK: People continue to use the ground surrounding the bottle bank as a general rubbish dump. A plea goes out from all those concerned for the village to use the area as a bottle bank and nothing else.

FIREWORKS NIGHT: The building of the bonfire is already underway. The event kicks off from Town Yetholm Green with a torchlight procession at 6pm on Sunday (November 4).

SHEEPDOG TRIAL HONOUR: Bill Elliot of Yetholm‘s skills were recently recognised when he was invited to judge national trials in Italy. Bill much enjoyed the experience.

REMEMBRANCE SUNDAY: Poppies are on sale at various outlets and door-to-door collections taking place .There will be a short service at the village war memorial at 9.45am on November 11 to be followed by a service in the parish kirk at 10am.

Dry Bar: The bar open night is this Thursday – the usual fun plus registration and preliminary rounds of the Champions League Pool Cup competition with great trophies, medals and £60 of prize money. Open to all under 18. The film season continues on November 5 with Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows. Doors open 6.15. Film starts 6.30. Free. Further information: Ian on 01573 420703

Table tennis: On Sunday (November 4) Table Tennis Scotland is again holding a coaching session, 2-4pm in the Yetholm Youth Hall. All under 18s very welcome as are parents. Tea, coffee and the papers provided. Cost £2. Further information, email Ian on ireid@yetholmtown.plus.com or ring 01573 420703.

A PROBE is underway to trace a woman who was spotted selling puppies from the boot of a car outside a supermarket in the Scottish Borders, writes Bob Burgess.

Officers from the animal welfare charity the Scottish SPCA say the pups were probably bred for profit at a puppy farm Ireland.

They have studied footage from closed circuit television cameras provided by bosses at Asda in Galashiels.

The cameras picked out the woman selling German Shepherd pups between 12.30 and 1pm on Saturday, October 20.

Members of the public alerted the animal charity when she was spotted with the dogs in a silver Ford Ka.

She’s described as white, aged between 25 and 35 with an Eastern European accent. Selling animals in a public place and without a license are criminal offences.

Scottish SPCA Chief Superintendent Mike Flynn said: “We believe that at least one puppy was sold and we are very keen to speak to the person who purchased it – this is only to help us with our enquiries, they have not committed an offence by buying the dog.

“The vehicle appears to be from Southern Ireland. It’s possible these dogs have been bred in a puppy farm in Ireland. We would have serious concerns for their health and welfare.”

Inspector Flynn said it was not known if the pubs have been checked by a vet and vaccinated.

He went on: “Anyone who would sell a puppy out of a car boot to a complete stranger has no concern for their well-being and doesn’t care whether they are going to responsible owners. They are only interested in making a profit.

“It’s possible this woman also tried to sell these puppies in other car parks and public places over that weekend, so we are asking people to think back and call us if they remember anything. People who witnesses such activity should contact us or the police immediately.

Contact the Scottish SPCA helpline on 03000 999 999.

ST BOSWELLS

AT St Boswells Mart on Monday John Swan Ltd sold 86 clean cattle, 116 OTM cattle, 2,356 new season lambs and 1,498 ewes.

Bullocks (40) averaged 208.2p per kg and sold to 241p (-7.8p on week) while heifers (43) averaged 208.6p per kg and sold to 240p (-6.0p on week). Three young bulls averaged 182p per kg and sold to 194p (n/c on week) and 116 beef type OTM cattle averaged 123.4p per kg and sold to192p (-10.3p on the week).

The 2,356 new season lambs averaged 150.6p per kg and sold to £97(-3.4p on week) and 1,498 ewes averaged £46.64 (£81 for ewes and £89 for tups).

Principal prices per kg: Bee Edge 2.41, 2.30 M/s J Penny and Sons, 2.27 Robert Wilson Butcher; Longnewton 2.40 M/s WTS Forsyth and Sons; Humebyres 2.35 M/s J Penny and Sons; Lennoxlove 2.33 M/s TA Shaw, 2.30 M/s WTS Forsyth and Sons, 2.26 Denholm Meats; Upper Nisbet 2.32 M/s WTS Forsyth and Sons; Ramrig 2.30 M/s R Pringle; Traprain 2.30 M/s WTS Forsyth and Sons; Low Middleton 2.29 M/s J Gilmour and Co Ltd; Greenknowe 2.29 Gosford Bothy Shop, 2.26 Malone of Edinburgh, 2.25 M/s TA Shaw; Woodhead. A 2.25 M/s J Penny and Sons.

Principal prices per head: Humebyres £1492.25; Ramrig £1462; Bee Edge £1409.85, £1384.70, £1380; Low Middleton £1377.95.

Cows per head: Kersknowe £1438.10, £1355.20, £1320; Philiphaugh £1315.20; Smailholm Mains £1277.50; Ramrig £1276.80, £1269.20; Cortleferry £1260.85; Humebyres £1244.10, £1161.30; Birkenside £1156.20; Eden Lodge £1146.75; Legerwood £1123.75; Crossflat £1082.95.

Cows per kg: Ramrig 1.92, 1.67; Crossflat 1.79, 1.41; Humebyres 1.74, 1.58; Cortleferry 1.55, 1.51; Kersknowe 1.54, 1.50, 1.46; Birkenside 1.49; Smailholm Mains 1.46, 1.42;Legerwood 1.45; Wester Middleton 1.43.

Bulls: New Blainslie £1277.25 (1.31); Earlston Mains £1180 (1.18).

Principal prices, lambs per head: Bel:- £97, £95 Crookston. Tex.x;- £95, £93, £92 Crookston, £84 Huntington, Suff.x;- £84 Huntington, £83 Hartside, Beu;- £71.50 Craighouse, CM;- £73 Gospelhall, GF;- £69 Saughtree, Chev;- £66 Gospelhall, £64.50 Blackcastle, BF;- £56 Burnhouse Mains and Roxburgh Mill.

Principal prices, lambs per kg: Bel;- 193.9 Crookston, 182.6 Sydenham, Tex.x;- 189.8 Crookston, 177.4 Howden, Suff.x;- 173.4, 168 Huntington, Chev;- 155 Saughtree.

Cast ewes: Tex;- £81 Mossburnford, £73 Buckholm, Suff.x;- £79 Linkshead and Smailholm Mains, £77 Craigsford Mains, BFL;- £69 Linkshead, Chev;- £67 Gospelhall, £63 Torwoodlee Mains, Lle;- £67 Hillhouse, GF;- £63 Craigend, £61 Linkshead and Mossburnford, BF;- £47 Lauderhill, £43 Linkshead, Falside and Hillhouse.

Rams: Tex;- £89 Thistle Doo, BFL;- £67 Lee, Chev;- £65 Hindhope.

BORDER LIVESTOCK

LAST week Border Livestock Exchange Ltd sold 173 prime cattle including 41 cows and bulls, 3,071 prime lambs, 491 cast ewes, 971 store sheep and 111 store cattle.

Aberdeen Angus cross steers from Eastfield of Lempitlaw, Kelso, sold to 397p per kg and £1,472. Continental cross heifers from Cairndinnis, Haddington, sold to 370p per kg. Heavy Continental cross steers from Easington Grange, Belford, peaked at 351p per kg and £1,449.98. Young bulls to £1,434 from Blackadder Mains, Duns. Cull cows continue to sell extremely well with more being offered. Top price Blackadder Mains, Duns, £1,374. Saler cross cows to £1,148 from Cliftoncote, Yetholm.

Lambs remained steady with some tremendous consignments on offer. Organics from Tullochallum, Keith, topped the section at 380p per kg with conventional Texel crosses from Scotstounbank, Peebles, selling to 375p per kg and £78.75. Suffolk’s from Sweethope Farm, Kirkwhelpington, also sold to 375p per kg. Other Continental crosses to 365p per kg Edlingham Demense, Alnwick, 360p per kg Carlopshill, Penicuik; Howden, Jedburgh; Redpath Farm, Duns; Shipley Lane, Alnwick and Threeburnford, Lauder.

Store lambs continue to move steadily with the majority heading South. Suffolk crosses to £55.50, Texel crosses to £54 and Hill Cheviots to £52. Running on mule ewe lambs to £90. Cull ewes were dearer with mules selling to £80.50 Duncrahill, Pencaitland.

Full list of market prices at www.thesouthernreporter.co.uk

BEEF farmer Robert Neill is hosting an on-farm meeting about winter feeding on November 6.

A past Farmers Weekly Beef Farmer of the Year, Mr Neill is holding the event at Upper Nisbet, near Jedburgh with mixer wagons company Keenan.

Keenan nutritionist Robert Gilchrist will advise beef producers on how best to feed cattle this winter.

Mr Neill finishes 260 Limousin cross Friesian suckler cows, which are put to Limousin and British Blue bulls, and feeds his finished cattle a total mixed ration to improve feed conversion efficiency and reduce reliance on cereals. He has also added pot ale and molasses and says since feeding the specialist ration, he has seen a £33/head improvement.

For more information on the day contact Mr Neill on 07967 756651.

WIND turbine company Scaled Energy is holding an open day on November 5. The company supplied artisan bakers Bread Matters’ turbine at Mackbiehill Farmhouse near Lamancha where owners Andrew Whitely and Veronica Burke have a five-acre smallholding.

The sessions are at 10.30am and 12.30pm. Anyone interested should contact Scaled Energy on 0131 510 1408 or info@scaledenergy.co.uk to book.

DURING a recent conversation with a neighbour, as we tried to avoid talking about bad weather, a bad harvest, bad sowing conditions, slug damage, soil damage and other gloomy matters, we chanced on the number of successful farmers who started young.

The downside of that topic is that several of those we could think of started farming in their own right in their teens or early twenties because their fathers died young.

That is not always a launch pad for a successful career. Both of us could also think of cases where a father’s early death had seen their successors and family lose a tenancy. For a minute or two, the conversation was more miserable than the weather.

Then we got back on track with the success stories, young men, still almost boys in some cases, who had to take responsibility and grow up fast.

It could be argued that farming more than most jobs – with the possible exceptions of royalty and estate owners – is geared to that assumption of responsibility and decision-making. Most farmers’ sons, and daughters when given the chance, learn about what their father and family do from the time they’re aware of anything.

Farming is an all-enveloping part of their life. It’s what is talked about at mealtimes and at night, fathers and often mothers live on the job, children do farm chores from the time they can toddle. Most of us felt by the time we were late-teens we could do a better job than father.

Realisation dawns later, summed up by Mark Twain’s comment: “When I was 15 I was amazed at how stupid my father was. When I was 25 I was amazed at how much the old man had learned in 10 years.”

But the successful farmers my neighbour and I were discussing hadn’t had that chance to reappraise a father’s efforts. Sudden death left them on their own. Some were lucky with helpful, knowledgeable, hard-working mothers. Others weren’t. Most of us can think of examples of both.

The real point we discussed was whether these men would have been as successful if their fathers had lived longer and seen them into their late 20s, early 30s or even 40s before stepping aside.

I believe the ones I have in mind would have been as successful, quite probably in partnership – not necessarily formal – with their parent. In spite of the well-documented pitfalls that lie in wait for family farming partnerships, there are many successful examples of generations working together and the business making steady, sometimes spectacular, progress.

Others might have found playing second fiddle on a family farm too restrictive and left to become successful in another line of business. There are many examples of that too, particularly in the past 30 years when following father is not necessarily the ambition it once was.

We’ll never know what might have happened, and neither will they. As Winston Churchill said, the deficiency of hindsight is that while we know the consequences of what has been done, we don’t know what the consequences would have been of some other course.

What might be more relevant is knowing how many of those who had to start young themselves have given their children opportunity and responsibility at an early age – and if so, whether has it worked.

That thought was triggered by a recent article about the children of some of the world’s tycoons, such as Richard Branson, Rupert Murdoch and Donald Trump. Are their children as hungry for success as their famous fathers?

Some are. Donald Trump, junior, said their childhood holidays were spent working on Trump senior’s building projects and, in his case, touring job sites with his father or listening to him in board meetings. For that, read feeding stock, driving tractors, marts, farm sales and agricultural shows in any number of farming dynasties.

By coincidence I also saw a quote from Helen Browning, a tenant farmer and chief executive of the Soil Association. She told a recent conference organised by the Family Farmers’ Association: “I’m grateful that my father gave me the reins of the farm at age 24 and told me to get on with it. It was an extraordinarily bold thing to do and I’m sure he knew I would make loads of mistakes.

“But in the next 10 years I did a huge amount, set up several businesses and went for it in a way I don’t think I would have done if I hadn’t had the opportunity until my 40s.”

A thought there for some older farmers who are reluctant to give up the reins Helen referred to.

Another thought for older farmers: accident and fatality rates on farms are much higher for children and over-60s. No one likes to think that their reactions slow down, but they do when working with machinery and livestock – latest reminder, a 76-year-old dying in a livestock-feeding accident.

The message, as always, is to think, think and think again while doing a job, always planning to avoid the need for swift reactions or being pinned by large animals.

And know when to quit.

PEEBLESSHIRE’S first monitor farmers, Kate and Ed Rowell ,will host their first meeting at Hundleshope Farm next week.

A qualified vet, Mrs Rowell said she and her husband were inspired to get involved with the monitor farm programme when they heard former monitor farmer, Lilliesleaf’s Rob Livesey, speaking at a Peeblesshire Discussion Society meeting.

“It sounded a really positive opportunity. As a vet you have to do continuous professional development but in farming that doesn’t exist. Getting involved in the monitor farm project is a step in that direction, though, and hopefully it will give us an opportunity to run our business better. We would like to make the farm as profitable as we can,” said Mrs Rowell.

Those interested will meet at 10.30am when the Rowells will show their farm and talk about what they do before going to Manor Hall to discuss what the group will do next.

“We are quite happy to be as open as possible and hopefully that will inspire others to share hints and tips about how they do things. I really feel, as an industry, we have to stick together, rather than have farmers fighting amongst themselves, in the face of the big supermarkets, “ said Mrs Rowell.

Haystoun Estate tenants, she and Ed run 75 suckler cows and 750 ewes in partnership with Mrs Rowell’s parents, Ann and John Brown, on the 1,800-acre property, which extends to 2,200 feet above sea level, three miles south of Peebles. Mrs Rowell is the fifth generation to have farmed on the estate where her family have been tenants for almost 150 years.

The partnership’s spring-calving suckler herd of Limousin, British Blue and Simmental cross cows are put to a Charolais bull, producing calves that are sold as stores through Lawrie & Symington at Lanark.

Their 400 Scotch Mule and Texel cross ewes produce fat lambs and 350 Blackface ewes breed replacement ewe lambs and wethers. The Rowells also grow around 60 acres of spring barley to feed stock.

The couple hopes to improve the performance of their hill sheep flock during their three years as monitor farmers.

“We have a very poor hill and we’d be open to any ideas to increase the productivity of sheep. Ed’s also keen to look at improving the soil structure of the grassland,” said Mrs Rowell.

The Rowells are open to new ideas and have tried growing chicory. “We don’t have figures to prove it yet but it definitely appears to be helping reduce the worm burden,” said Mrs Rowell.

“We also enjoy comparing the performance of tups I’ve chosen using EBV (estimated breeding value) figures with those Ed has selected by eye!”

Technical projects manager with Quality Meat Scotland, which supports the monitor farm programme, Ian MacDougall said: “Kate and Ed’s enthusiasm and commitment make them a very welcome addition to the excellent network of monitor farms around Scotland. The opportunities to improve the efficiency and performance of their farm business uncovered over the next three years will be shared, not only with the community group of farmers who attend meetings at Hundleshope, but with farmers throughout Scotland.”

Facilitators Chris McDonald and Jennifer Brown of SAC Consulting, a division of SRUC, Scotland’s Rural College, have been appointed to support the Peeblesshire monitor farm.

Anyone wanting to attend the first meeting on Thursday (November 7) should contact Chris McDonald, 0131 535 3430, chris.mcdonald@sac.co.uk or Jennifer Brown on 01835 823322 at jennifer.brown@sac.co.uk

THE Borders rolled out the red carpet for the 50th Scottish Ploughing Championships at Coldstream last weekend, writes Peter Small.

McGregor Farms and Lennel Estates and all their staff put in a lot of effort to provide a fantastic venue. Competitors and spectators turned up from far and wide – one ploughman drove his tractor from Ayrshire to take part.

After a very wet summer it was no surprise that conditions were tough for organisers and ploughmen, with difficult rigs, access routes and car parks.

It all started on a cool Friday morning with a covering of snow on the distant Cheviots. Those braving the conditions were from all over the British Isles, competing in the Six Nations Vintage Championships. Primary children from Coldstream, Swinton and Chirnside came on a Royal Highland Education Trust visit, and were shown all aspects of the fine art of ploughing by Willie Dunlop, Sandy Stevenson, Willie Grieve and former world champion Dave Carnegie. Host farmer Colin McGregor explained the reasons for ploughing before showing them his range of modern machinery.

On Saturday, the championships proper started with the completion of the Six Nations contest – England’s David Greenwood was overall winner.

Horse ploughing had only two pairs and the eventual winner, George Robertson, had to borrow a horse as one of his became unwell.

Difficult conditions in the classic class forced the withdrawal of several competitors but Jock Sivewright ploughed on to win overall with Berwick’s Stuart Forsyth reserve.

The general purpose class saw Andrew Mitchell take top honours, while the Borders had a class winner – George Riddell won the inaugural Friend of Ferguson T20 Class

Reversible ploughing saw Dave Carnegie win the Butts Class, multi-furrow winner was George McLachlan, and non-hydraulic winner was Raymond Middleton, with Kelso’s Bruce Richardson second. Sunday started wet but ploughing continued, with Davie Duncan on his own in the horse class, while John Milne was top in the high cut section. Best junior was Mathew Whitehead, while Allen McAnally and Peter Alderslade were top visitors in the conventional and reversible sections respectively.

In the vintage mounted classes, Colin Hewetson beat Stuart Bathgate of Dunbar in section A, while Dunbar’s Robin Forsyth won section B and overall awards. James Macpherson took the Trailing title.

In the plough-offs to determine the Scottish champions for the 2013 World Contest in Canada, Andrew Mitchell Jnr won his straight eighth Scottish title, while popular seasoned campaigner Dave Carnegie took the reversible crown.

Next year Caithness hosts the event for the first time.

Scandinavia and Scotland unite in a smörgåsbord of Norwegian and Scottish music and food events this weekend.

On Friday in Maxton Village Hall, Gaelic singer and fiddler Rona Wilkie joins forces with Norwegian mandola player Marit Fält in an evening exploring their home countries’ folk music.

The duo, who won a Danny Kyle Award at Celtic Connections, promise to bring a new perspective to traditional music from both sides of the North Sea.

Rona, an exceptional fiddle player and Gaelic singer from the Highlands, was crowned the BBC Scotland Young Traditional Musician of the Year.

“She has a great drive behind her playing, and is also able to slow it down to tease the beauty of slower airs,” writes a spokesperson for the event, organised by Gaelic in the Borders.

“Marit is a hugely dynamic and inventive Låtmandola and cittern player from Norway, of Swedish parents. She captures the elegance and raw beauty of Norwegian and Swedish traditional music.”

The performance starts at 7.45pm, and tickets cost £3, or £2 for Gaelic in Scotland members.

Then, on Sunday evening, Borders band Riddell Fiddles team up with the Norwegian fiddle group Feleboga for a ceilidh at Selkirk’s County Hotel, followed by a dinner of traditional Norwegian food, including lapskaus, described as a dish between steak pie and stovies.

Teleboga were invited by the County’s owners, Will Haegeland and Trond Dalby, who said: “As Norwegians we are delighted to welcome Feleboga and their 25 fiddlers to the Scottish Borders.

“Both countries are renowned for their folk history and music. We look forward to celebrating this rich history together.”

The evening starts at 7pm in Scott’s Hall, and tickets cost £10 from the hotel.

Four musicians from Riddell Fiddles, Kim and Stuart Hendry, Louise Douglas and Kieran Sapkota, will be on a high after playing Border jigs and reels for the Scottish Parliament, on MSPs’ visit to the Heart of Hawick earlier in the day.

On Sunday December 2, Riddell Fiddles is hosting a concert with Shetland musicians Jenna Reid and Harris Playfair.

For more info, go to www.riddellfiddles.co.uk

The folk music band Lau is performing its new, third album Race the Loser at The Queen’s Hall in Edinburgh on November 6, and TheSouthern is giving away two free CDs.

To win one, answer the following question.

What does ‘lau’ mean in the dialect of Orkney, where the band’s Kris Drever is from?

The trio’s live and studio performances have seen Lau pick up three consecutive BBC Folk Awards for Best Group (2008-2010).

“Race the Loser features Lau’s best, most universal and significant music yet,” writes Lau’s publicists. “It’s the sound of three free-thinking, exceptionally talented friends embracing with open arms yet another new chapter of what has already been an extraordinary musical journey.

“Race the Loser was made in Scotland, with American producer Tucker Martine, and pushes Lau’s complex yet accessible sound even further to the outer reaches of folk music, while retaining all the strengths of the original acoustic trio of Kris Drever on vocals/guitar, Martin Green on accordion, and Aidan O’Rourke on fiddle.”

Kris said: “Tucker picked up our ball and ran the full length of the pitch and off out of the stadium with it.”

O’Rourke added: “We’re more confident in our writing and the noise we’ve created this time feels  closer to the sound which we have been aiming for.”

The band spent the two and half years since their Arc Light album, collaborating on a variety of special projects including EPs with electronic producer Adem and Scots singer Karine Polwart, and a live show and documentary for the BBC with rock legend, Cream bassist Jack Bruce.  

Lau also wrote a vast new orchestral piece, Strange Attractors, with composer Brian Irvine which debuted atthe Sage, Gateshead, and was performed by Lau and the Northern Sinfonia.

The publicist continued: “These collaborations have added much to Race the Loser’s sonic quality, electronic explorations and original songwriting.”

To enter the competition, send your answers and address to Southern Life, The Southern Reporter, The Hermitage, High Street, Selkirk, TD7 4DA.

The Bruce MacGregor Trio is playing at Peebles’ Eastgate Theatre on Wednesday November 7, starting at 7.30pm.

“Bruce MacGregor (fiddle), Tim Edey (box/guitar) and Christine Hanson (cello) have just released an album, Kissin’ is the Best of A, and they’re now on tour to show you just what they can do live,” their spokesperson said.

Bruce is the founding member of Blazin’ Fiddles, Tim is the winner of the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards Musician of the Year 2012, and Christine appears everywhere on both sides of the Atlantic. Tickets cost £13.

Peebles’ music season continues on Tuesday, November 6, as Pure Brass promises to delight fans of brass instruments as much as the Brodsky Quartet delighted lovers of strings in October.

“This exciting and versatile young quintet brings astonishing virtuosity to music spanning six centuries,” writes the musicians’ publicist. “Pure Brass have been thrilling audiences since 2006, in venues as diverse as St Magnus Cathedral and T in the Park, collecting many prizes along the way.”

The group has won a variety of competitions, including the RSAMD Governors’ Prize for Chamber Music – which was subsequently made into a recording for BBC Radio Scotland – the Mary D Adams Award and the Norman Cooper Prize at the Aberdeen International Youth Festival.

“Pure Brass is an exciting young Scottish brass quintet who have quickly made a name for themselves, not only as brilliant musicians but also as great entertainers,” said John Fox, president of Music in Peebles. “Their concert in Peebles showcases their great virtuosity and also the breadth of their musical interests, spanning from the Renaissance to the present. On the programme are Gabrieli and jazz, Bach and the Beatles – something for everyone!”

The brass quintet is composed of five graduates of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland: Andrew Connell-Smith and Ian Archibald on trumpet, Martin Murphy on horn, Gordon Seith on trombone and Fraser Russell on tuba. Their programme ranges from Gabrieli, through Bach and Mussorgsky to Peter Maxwell Davies and Steve Reich – and there will even be some jazz, blues and the Beatles.

“Central to Pure Brass’s ethos is providing concerts which are musically challenging but accessible to all,” their publicist continues: “Presented in their own individual style, spoken programme notes are a must alongside demonstrations, and even the occasional bit of audience participation. Introduced and delivered with their own unique panache, this concert has something for everyone.”

They have a passion for new music and have performed premieres at the Scottish Music Centre’s 2012 Composers Marathon, the Sounds New Festival in Canterbury, Scotland’s premier contemporary music festival Plug, and a sell-out recital of contemporary music at the RSAMD.

The quintet has performed in solo recitals in some of the UK’s leading venues including the Wigmore Hall, the Usher Hall, and Glasgow Royal Concert Hall. In 2012 they closed the Sommernachtspiele festival in Nuremburg, and have performed at festivals such as the Sauerland-Herbst Festival Germany, and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Pure Brass will also be presenting workshops in local schools in the lead-up to the concert, funded by Enterprise Music Scotland. John Fox welcomed this, saying: “As well as promoting high-quality chamber music concerts, Music in Peebles is also committed to making live music available to young people. As Pure Brass are also passionate about music education, we are delighted that they will be spending two days in Peebles, during which time they will present workshops in three local schools.”

The Pure Brass’ concert, which is open to all, is in the Eastgate Theatre, Peebles on Tuesday 6 November, starting at 7.30 pm. Tickets cost £13 from the Eastgate Box Office (tel.01721 725777). Entry is free for school students and members of Music in Peebles. For more info, visit www.eastgatearts.com

TheSOUTHERN has four sets of family tickets – each worth £44 – to a historic tour for the Singing Kettle.

Husband and wife Cilla Fisher and Artie Trezise – who founded the musical children’s entertainment show back in 1982 – are retiring after their Fairytale Christmas schedule, which includes two dates in Kelso later this month.

However, the show will go on, with Cilla and Artie planning to take on backstage creative roles while a new female cast member is found ahead of a new tour in March next year.

Speaking about the Fairytale Christmas extravaganza, a spokesperson for the Singing Kettle said: “This electrifying singalong will enthral both young and old and is the perfect treat to get everyone in the festive spirit.

Cilla the Good Fairy, Artie the Mad Hatter, Gary as Prince Charming and Kevin as the Pied Piper will see the Singing Kettle at its breathtaking best.

“Some lucky children will end up on stage to join in the excitement and there’s even a visit from a very special guest with a white beard in a red suit.”

The Singing Kettle perform in the Tait Hall at 1pm and 3.30pm on Sunday, November 25, and at 10am on Monday, November 26.

Tickets are available from.borderevents.co.uk or Brown’s newsagents in Kelso.

To win one of four family tickets for the Kelso show, answer this question:

Which two Singing Kettle cast members are retiring?

Send your answer, name, full address and telephone number by email to kenny.paterson@tweeddalepress.co.uk or by post to The Singing Kettle Competition, The Southern Reporter, The Hermitage, High Street, Selkirk, TD7 4DA, by Thursday, November 8. Usual Southern rules apply.

THE body found in the River Tweed near Norham last Wednesday morning was that of William Purves from Ladykirk, near Berwick.

Search-and-rescue volunteers from the Borders were involved in a five-hour search for the 64-year-old gamekeeper who worked at Ladykirk estate.

Police were alerted at 10am when Mr Purves failed to turn up for work. His boat had been seen on the river that morning and both fire and rescue crews, as well as the police marine unit set up a search for the missing man.

Specialist volunteer organisations, the Border Search and Rescue Unit (BSRU) and the Borders Underwater Search Team were called in at lunchtime when 11 members from BSRU and three divers trawled the banks and river for the Ladykirk man. An aerial search by a helicopter from RAF Bulmer found no trace of him.

BSRU’s Damon Rodwell said: “The recent heavy rain and exceptionally high river levels had made the steep sections of the bank particularly hazardous, and the search was hampered by dense and slippery vegetation.”

The volunteer divers found Mr Purves’ body just upstream of Norham Bridge after 3pm.

Police say there are no suspicious circumstances and a report has been sent to the Procurator Fiscal.

AFTER lying unread for decades and gathering dust in the attic of an Australian farmhouse, the memoirs of the Borders sculptor who carved the statues of Ettrick shepherd James Hogg at St Mary’s Loch and that of explorer Mungo Park in Selkirk, have now been published.

In a new book entitled Carving History: The Life & Works of Andrew Currie, the memoirs form the basis of a biography by freelance Melbourne journalist, Bob Johnstone.

Currie, who died in 1891 and was the author’s great-great-grandfather, was more than just a gifted carver of large-scale monuments in stone and finely-wrought furniture in wood.

He was also an enthusiastic antiquary, an oral historian, and a writer who penned colourful stories of life in the Borders of his youth.

The son of a Howford sheep farmer, Currie worked as a millwright until his mid-forties, when his health broke. Only then did he fulfill a life-long dream to become a sculptor.

Carving History is divided up into three sections; the first being a biography of Currie’s life; part two contains illustrations of his works and part three is a collection of his writings, including memoirs and diaries about growing up in the Borders of the early 19th century.

The manuscripts came to light in 2011, having lain in the house in the Australian state of Victoria for generations, and are being published for the first time, to coincide with Currie’s bicentenary on November 6.

The author of five previous books, Bob, whose father was born in Selkirk and whose mother’s family comes from Galashiels, has also worked as a correspondent for the New Scientist, the Far East Economic Review and Wired magazine.

Speaking to TheSouthern from his home in Victoria’s state capital, Melbourne, he said the chain of events which had led him to start work on the book had began innocuously enough, with a request from his son.

“He asked me to put together a family tree for him. This task I immediately passed on to my eldest brother who, being older, is better-versed in such matters than I am,” Bob explained this week.

“He duly obliged, but there was something lacking in the bare framework of names and dates. It would be nice, I thought, to put some flesh on the bones.”

But where to begin? The only ancestor of Bob’s who had been even remotely famous was Andrew Currie.

As well as the monuments to Hogg and Park, Currie had also carved the figure of Robert the Bruce on the esplanade at Stirling Castle, as well as two of the character statues on the Scott Monument in Edinburgh.

So from his desk at home in Melbourne, Bob started trawling the internet for information.

This included downloading a handwritten page from the parish records of Yarrow in Selkirkshire.

As well as learning that it was almost the bicentenary of Currie’s birth and that he had been the son of a tenant farmer from Howford, Bob also found out that Currie had a younger brother, John, who, in 1841, had emigrated to Victoria, where he became a highly successful sheep farmer.

Taking up the story again, Bob said: “I did some more Googling and it didn’t take me long to discover that we had at least one set of distant cousins – more than one, as I later learned – living right here in Victoria. I emailed them, asking if they had any Andrew Currie-related materials.

“By coincidence, at exactly this time, I came across an exchange of letters about Andrew that The Scotsman had published in 1920.

“One correspondent mentioned that Andrew had been working on his memoirs, the other replied he feared that these were now widely scattered, if they still existed.

“The idea that memoirs existed was new and exciting. They would give at least some sense of the person who had written them. But what were the chances of ever finding these memoirs? Not good, I reckoned, real needle-in-a-haystack stuff.”

However, the very next day, Bob’s email inbox was stuffed with a series of emails from one of his newfound cousins and attached to them were scans of documents, handwritten contracts and letters, a detailed appreciation from a magazine of the life of Currie, and – most remarkable of all – the frontispiece of a diary in Currie’s own hand. Bob continues: “Of all the places they could have been in the world, the memoirs had turned up right here in Victoria, about a two-and-a-half-hour drive from my home!

“Up to that point, I had been musing about doing some sort of website. But now I realised that, with the memoirs, this project could be much bigger. The idea that became this book began to form.”

Bob’s cousin let him copy four handwritten exercise books of reminiscences and diaries.

“Transcribing them was intensely exciting: I felt that Andrew Currie was talking directly to me, telling me stories about his life and times, stories that had lain unread in a trunk for many decades.

“They were, I thought, remarkably well-written, by a man who obviously had a sharp eye, a lively mind and a fine, self-deprecatory sense of humour. And, as the first page of the reminiscences made clear, Andrew wanted what he had written to be read.

“So, in addition to photographs of his works, I now understood that his writings must be published, too, so that other family members, scholars, Borderers, and who knew who else could enjoy them.”

z Through a relative in Selkirk, Bob got in touch with photographer Walter McLaren, from Galashiels, who took a number of the images in the book of Currie’s work in the Borders. Many thanks to Mr McLaren for his assistance with this article.

THERE have been no cases of ‘ash dieback’ in the Borders so far, but a local forester warned the killer disease could be the equivalent of the 1970s Dutch Elm disease to the ash population.

Forestry Commission Scotland’s Iain Laidlaw was commenting as an ongoing survey in affected areas this week assesses the situation.

He cautioned: “This disease has killed most of the ash trees in Denmark: it is potentially the Dutch Elm disease for ash trees.”

On Monday the Government introduced a ban on imports of the species and imposed movement restrictions with immediate effect. More than 100,000 ash trees have been cut down and burned in a bid to stop the spread of the imported fungus which has killed 90 percent of Denmark’s ash population.

But last week the disease was reported as being free in the UK’s natural environment for the first time.

The Scottish Wildlife Trust (SWT), which has several reserves in the Borders, is calling for emergency action to save the native species and urging more funding be allocated to ash dieback and other tree diseases.

The charity is also demanding a re-examination of how imported plants are checked for diseases and wants foresters to use of saplings from nurseries that source their trees locally.

The only confirmed case in Scotland so far was found at a Forestry Commission Scotland woodland at Knockmountain, near Kilmacolm in Renfrewshire earlier this year.

An SWT spokesman said: “Its spread could be catastrophic for one of Scotland’s most important ‘keystone’ tree species. Many of our native species are dependent on ash, including birds like the bullfinch and butterflies, such as the dingy skipper.”

The chalara fraxinea fungus causes leaf loss and crown dieback and usually leads to the death of the ash tree.

Around 30 per cent of Scotland’s woodland trees are ash, which host insects, birds and bats, and experts describe the tree as being important ecologically and environmentally.

ONE of Scotland’s oldest licensed hotels, the Spread Eagle in Jedburgh, has gone on the market.

Owners for the last eight years, John Campbell and Dr Lorna Noble, hope to move on to a smaller establishment outwith the Borders.

The former coaching inn, which has been a hotel continuously since the 16th century, has an illustrious history which includes Mary Queen of Scots, Sir Walter Scott – and, according to one source, the Rolling Stones – as visitors.

The Spread, along with the Crook Inn in Tweedsmuir, were among the first Scottish inns to be licensed in 1604.

Mr Campbell, who has extensively refurbished the eight-bedroom hotel, said: “You can see parts of it are very old and the builders reckon bits of the fireplace came from the abbey.”

In 1566 Mary Queen of Scots was reportedly going to stay as she presided over the court in the Royal Burgh, but fire forced her to move to the room in what is now known as Mary Queen of Scot’s House where she stayed to recuperate after becoming ill when she famously rode 50 miles to Hermitage Castle and back to visit the injured Bothwell.

Jedburgh’s Billy Gillies, who leads historic walks around the town on Friday evenings, said the Spread had always been associated with judges. For in earlier centuries the judiciary would come from Edinburgh on the court circuit to Jedburgh and have to be escorted to and from towns for their safety. They would then parade from the hotel up the street to the court carrying the mace .

“They’d get their robes and finery on and the provost would be in his chain to escort them up to the courts. In the 1800s they were still doing it,” said Mr Gillies.

The venerable old inn, which used to have stables behind it, is also associated with the Gentlemen’s Club, now open to allcomers, but which was started in the 1700s by the Duke of Buccleuch, the Marquis of Lothian and other lairds, who later built an extension to the inn so they could hold functions.

One of a series of characterful owners, Robert Breustedt, who sold it in 1971, blew a bugle down the High Street to attract custom on a Sunday. “He did it a couple of times then he was warned, “ said Mr Gillies, adding: “John’s done the biggest changes to it and what a great job he’s done.”

The business is advertised online for £150,000.

THIS year’s Tweed Valley Forest Festival which finished at the weekend was the best so far, say organisers.

Co-ordinator Chris Sawers said the seventh annual woodland celebration was “the busiest festival we have had and very, very successful”.

More than 4,000 people are estimated to have attended the Woodmarket in Peebles alone at the start of the eight-day event, when the Scottish Conker Championships were saved at the 11th hour.

Ms Sawers said: “We were blessed with the weather. Apart from the fantastic Woodmarket and saving the conker championships, a highlight had to be the Giant Nights Out and the 35 people who went on the forest walk led by Forestry Commission Scotland’s Iain Laidlaw.”

The event boosted the local economy, but it was difficult at this stage to quantify it, she said.