Obituary: Alison McNeil, Scottish champion wool handler

Sheep handlers who tidy up the fleeces prior to rolling them up ready for the wool merchants require, according to a fellow wool handler to have 'speed, agility and attention to detail.' Alison had all these attributes as demonstrated in her unrivalled record in competitions.

Alison Jappy and her siblings – Katherine, Davy and Sandra – were born and brought up in the Hawick area at Lairhope, Teviothead, in the Scottish Borders where their father worked as a shepherd and her mother was a nurse. Living in quite remote areas, the Jappy children made their own entertainment, and it was here Alison's natural love of animals just grew and grew.

After Drumlanrig primary school in Hawick, she went on to secondary at the high school in the same town. While at school, she not only proved she was a diligent pupil but also gained national recognition when she won the National Orienteering championship; first while she was at primary school and then again during her secondary school years.

Tertiary education started at Borders College where she took an Ordinary National Diploma in business studies before she headed off to Auchencruive in Ayrshire to study agriculture. As part of this latter course, she had to spend a year doing practical farming, which she did with her father on a sheep farm at Westruther in the Lammermuir Hills.

Here she picked up skills which, helped by her independent approach to life, saw her head off to New Zealand after completing her two-year diploma course.

Once there, she worked for shearing contractors, on some of the large sheep stations and then became involved in some of the shearing competitions where she picked up the skills of a wool handler or, as they are called in those parts of the world, roustabouts or rousies.

Coming back home to Scotland in 1997, Alison was instrumental in staging wool handling competitions at all the major Scottish sheep shearing events. She won the first ever wool handling competition held in Scotland and this led to her selection in the Scottish team for the world championships in Ireland.

More victories were achieved in major competition wins in Wales, England and Ireland as well as notable placings in the World Wool Handling championships taking fourth in Ireland, fifth in South Africa, third on home turf in Scotland and fifth in Australia. All of these were quite an achievement as she was competing against New Zealanders and Australians who 'rousie' as a full-time job.

Such was the dominance this well-organised woman with a warm smile and keen sense of humour had in domestic competitions at this time that one, possibly over excited, commentator was heard to exclaim that she had 'been winning shows all over Scotland for the past 300 years!'

During this period of her life Alison met and married Graham McNeil whom she met through their shearing exploits. Together they established a successful shearing business based mainly in the Dumfries and Galloway area.

Alison continued the business after her separation from Graham adding in work with the British Wool Marketing Board training up wool handlers. She also helped train shepherds who came over from Scandinavia to learn about shearing and wool handling. After a brief career as a policewoman, her focus on agriculture continued.

She was still working in the South West of Scotland when the 2001 foot-and-mouth disease struck. Recognising someone with good organisational abilities and a steely determination for what would be a very stressful job she was asked to co-ordinate shepherds in gathering animals. Together, without a single day's break, the team in a systematic and orderly way, gathered thousands of animals every day for two months. This drastic action helped to control the spread of the virulent disease. It was a most distressing period for all those who loved animals and especially Alison whose life was centred on working with and looking after livestock.

She was both very proud and surprised when she was awarded the MBE for her efforts in this gruesome task. Her Investiture by HRH Prince Charles at Holyrood Palace accompanied by her parents and Katherine was a day to remember.

Although she made seven lengthy trips to New Zealand working and competing, there was never any doubt that her homeland was Scotland. Possibly to emphasise this Scottishness and, also to confirm a remark made by a friend and colleague that she 'was a grafter who was successful in everything she put her mind to,' she learned to play the bagpipes and having done so, she joined the Hawick Scout Pipe Band.

This well-organised woman who was confident, independent, unassuming and patient, was generous with her time passing on her knowledge.

She was also a loyal and long-standing friend to many both in her home area and in the sheep world.