John Robertson of Perth, who began his working life in mechanical engineering and ended it as a senior nursing lecturer, has died aged 81.
He went to work at Murthly Hospital as redundancies loomed at Stanley Mills and then progressed through the health service.
In the latter stages of his career he was part of Project 2000, looking at how nursing in Tayside could be improved in the new millennium.
Outside work John was a dedicate pike fisherman, Munro bagger and had a deep knowledge of Scotland’s geology and geography.
He was born in April 1942 to quarryman James Robertson and his wife, Betsy, a laundry worker and grew up with a younger sister, Christine.
School days
John was educated at Caledonian Road Primary School and then Perth High School where he left aged 15 to begin at apprenticeship as a mechanical fitter at Shield’s Works.
He left in 1960 to move to Stanley Mills as a powerloom tender and it was there he met his future wife, Violet. The couple married at Perth Registrar’s office in 1963 and went on to have two of a family, Allan and Bob, and grandchildren Faye, Beth and Rosie.
John was about to be made redundant from Stanley Mills when his uncle suggested he try for a job at nearby Murthly Hospital.
He began as a nursing assistant in 1964, completed his registered mental nurse training in 1967 then undertook registered general nursing training in Tayside hospitals over the course of a year.
Specialist training
From 1968 until 1976 he was a charge nurse at Murthly during which time he underwent clinical psychiatric teacher training in Edinburgh.
John began teaching at Perth College of Nursing in 1976, undertook nurse tutor training at Jordanhill in Glasgow and returned to Perth as a senior nurse lecturer.
After his Project 2000 work with Tayside Health Board, John retired in 1997 and enjoyed many holidays around the world with Violet including to Norway, Canada and the United States.
A keen footballer in his youth who trained with St Johnstone and then played for the Murthly Hospital side, John was a regular at McDiarmid Park throughout his life.
Love of outdoors
He completed more than 200 Munros, many with his dog, and fished for brown trout in highland lochs and rivers and pike in the lochs between Dunkeld and Blairgowrie.
His son, Bob, said: “He loved this area which he kept tidy and often returned with zero catch but four or five bags of litter left by others.
“He also loved agate collecting and would scour the mountains for crystals and semi-precious stones.
“Our father loved to gain knowledge of the geology, geography and history of Scotland.”
In 1990 he undertook the Ultimate Challenge, a coast-t0-coast walk from Ullapool to Montrose.
Volunteer
In 2010 he was asked to support the refurbishment work at Stanley Mills by explaining how it worked and when it reopened as a tourist attraction, volunteered to take school parties round the mill.
Bob said: “He loved his working life in the health service and his retirement with his family and, in particular, his grandkids.
“He passed away at Ninewells Hospital and both he and is family received fantastic care and support from the very special staff there.”
You can read the family’s announcement here.
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