Scotland has lost one of its best known dairy stockmen in Robert McInnes, who sadly passed away just six weeks after his best friend, Billy Scott.

An often determined, stubborn, competitive and thrawn individual, Robert was a workaholic and extremely inspirational. He stood up to face Parkinsons disease and to carry on his life as normal as much as he could.

He was out on the bike with the dogs shifting sheep, living with the phrase: “I’ve just got to play the hand I’ve been dealt”, until the very end. I don’t think Parkinsons realised 20 years ago the man it was dealing with.

Extremely competitive, whether he was showing cows or sheep, playing croquet or pool – he had to win. Especially if it was for £1!

Not many people visited Greystoneknowe without the inevitable invite: “Do you want a crack at the baws,” and of course: “I’ll play you for £1”, and if you did manage to beat him, you would then be told: “Right, double or quits”.

Robert was a tremendous stockman. The Moscow Holstein herd he built up was one of the best in the West of Scotland at the time, and he was always a hard man to beat in the showring – whether it be locally or at the big shows.

He won the Royal Highland Show in 1992, too, with Altona Lea Amythyst, which was imported from Canada following Robert and his wife, Kate's first foreign holiday to celebrate their silver wedding in 1990. However, the herd was sold privately and Robert took to breeding sheep.

It was a recurring theme whether it was Blackface sheep, Bluefaced Leicesters, suckler cows and calves, and sheep dogs. Robert wanted to have the best of everything related to livestock.

It was through his love for pedigree Holsteins that Robert and the Scott family clicked. They shared quite a few cows together and he had some rising stars in the young stock sheds at Shacklehill, with Robbie Scott.

Whenever a sale catalogue came in the post, each would know to expect a phone call that night to analyse the lots. When it was said to him: “Robert you have got enough good ones,” his reply was always, “Aye but you’ve room for wan mair,” and he was obsessed with buying “wan mair gid yin.” Even up to the Wednesday before he died, he was trying to buy a heifer at Carlisle.

His old pals said he was mischievous in his younger years. On the way home from Craigie bowling nights, Robert, Jim Caldwell, Lawrence Bothwick and big Geordie McFadzean would always go back to North Craig for a coffee. George’s wife, Maggie, got fed up with them coming through to her room and annoying her so she would lock the door between the kitchen and hall.

Jim Caldwell saw Geordie feeling under the door and realised this was where the key was hidden, so he told Robert. The following week, when George wasn’t looking, Robert was down on his knees feeling for the key when he let out an almighty scream.

George had heard Jim telling Robert the week before where the key was, so Maggie set a big mouse trap! As Robert fumbled for it, it nearly took the fingers off him!

As he whinged and moaned all the way home about his fingers with Jim and Lawrence – all he said was: “Caldwell, you’ll pay for that”.

The following week, Jim couldn’t go to the bowls! He had a prior engagement with his wife, Agnes. When they arrived home, Jim’s mini pick up was missing from the close –it turned out Robert had got help from Geordie, Lawrence and Jim Shanks to lift the wee pick up round to the cubicle shed and put it side ways in a slatted pen where Jim couldn’t get at it. He was some man

The Chambers Farm Sales van was in at Grassyards one day to sell Robert dairy chemicals etc. Whist talking to the salesman, Robert asked him if he would give him a run over to Aitkenhead for a tractor. 'Sorry,' the salesman said, 'I’m not going in that direction'.

So the disgruntled Robert decided to lock the man in the back of the van and proceeded to jump in the driver's seat and drive round to Aitkenhead. When he arrived at his destination and let the guy out the back, he was surprised to find the salesman was really not impressed!

On a similar note, on their way home from a shoot at Newton Stewart, Robert was running late and he needed home to draw lambs for the market the next day. Big Geordie was driving but not fast enough, as they were stuck behind two cars with Irish number plates and they wouldn’t pull over, so Robert told Jim Caldwell: "I’ll make them pull over!"

He fumbled about on the back seat, brought out two cartridges, put them in his gun, hung out the window and as they drove under the sandstone viaduct about Pinwherry, he let off two shots! Unsurprisingly, the two cars swerved off the road and let them by! He really was a law on to himself.

Robert and Kate have been through a lot over the past 25 years with their daughter, Elaine, and family, in New Zealand, and their son, Allan, and his family, in Canada.

The couple however had been adopted by the Scott family, spending every Christmas together along with birthdays, christenings etc at Shacklehill. He was known as papa Robert to the Scott boys.

The similarities between him and Billy Scott were uncanny. They would go to shows and sales all over Britain together with the same interest of buying good cows.

They dressed the same, too, with their Holstein tie, grey checked sports jackets, black trousers and brown market boots. They were like twins and it is quite fitting that they both passed away so close to each other.

RS