In Memory
Bert Rae (12/03/1932 – 25/03/2015)
by Robert Rae
B&F May 2015
Robert Tweedie Rae was born at Castle Douglas Hospital to his farming parents Robert Baden Powell Rae and Lizzie Templeton Tweedies. He left school at 14 to farm with his dad, but later became an insurance salesman with Pearl Assurance until his retirement in 1992.
Bert was well known. He started playing in the early 50s and played with many fine musicians in many wonderful bands. He traveled the length and breadth of Dumfries and Galloway, and must have played in every village hall in the district. The mathematician in me has worked out that without doubt this would have meant that he played at about 15,000 events in his lifetime.
Of course in his younger days he was the dashing bandleader that all the women were chasing (or so he told me!) and he and Nancy, his first wife, met up at the dances around the village of Rhonehouse. They courted and then got married in 1956 and Alison and Robert soon came along. Nancy sadly passed away in 1992.
He played at the KBT Academy Candlemas for just over 60 years, his enthusiasm for these events ever high. Bert was delighted that the kids in the Academy were being taught ‘proper dancing’, as he put it.
Over the past few year’s, dad’s enthusiasm for playing, if anything, seemed to have increased, (I suppose he had more time after he retired), and he could often be seen in such exotic far-away places as Cumbria, Newcastle and Aberdeen.
Bert later met Doris whom he married in 1993 at Gretna Green, and to the very end they were each others constant companions. Together they and others ran The Britannia Accordion and Fiddle Club, an organisation that he was immensely proud to be involved in. They also raised huge amounts of money for various charities and organizations as well as supplied countless hours and evenings of enjoyment.
In fact due to his charity work, Bert was awarded The Dumfries and Galloway Community Champion Award 2011.
Bert passed away after a short illness, and it just leaves me to say, “My dad will be remembered by many different people for many different reasons, but more important that WHY you remember him is HOW you remember him. Perhaps the best way to remember him is as the photo shows – with an accordion on his knee and a smile on his face.”
Bert was well known. He started playing in the early 50s and played with many fine musicians in many wonderful bands. He traveled the length and breadth of Dumfries and Galloway, and must have played in every village hall in the district. The mathematician in me has worked out that without doubt this would have meant that he played at about 15,000 events in his lifetime.
Of course in his younger days he was the dashing bandleader that all the women were chasing (or so he told me!) and he and Nancy, his first wife, met up at the dances around the village of Rhonehouse. They courted and then got married in 1956 and Alison and Robert soon came along. Nancy sadly passed away in 1992.
He played at the KBT Academy Candlemas for just over 60 years, his enthusiasm for these events ever high. Bert was delighted that the kids in the Academy were being taught ‘proper dancing’, as he put it.
Over the past few year’s, dad’s enthusiasm for playing, if anything, seemed to have increased, (I suppose he had more time after he retired), and he could often be seen in such exotic far-away places as Cumbria, Newcastle and Aberdeen.
Bert later met Doris whom he married in 1993 at Gretna Green, and to the very end they were each others constant companions. Together they and others ran The Britannia Accordion and Fiddle Club, an organisation that he was immensely proud to be involved in. They also raised huge amounts of money for various charities and organizations as well as supplied countless hours and evenings of enjoyment.
In fact due to his charity work, Bert was awarded The Dumfries and Galloway Community Champion Award 2011.
Bert passed away after a short illness, and it just leaves me to say, “My dad will be remembered by many different people for many different reasons, but more important that WHY you remember him is HOW you remember him. Perhaps the best way to remember him is as the photo shows – with an accordion on his knee and a smile on his face.”