Will’s World: Doddie Weir was an inspirational force of nature
© Craig Watson/INPHO/Shutterstock I’ve just spent a long weekend visiting wonderful friends who live and farm in the Scottish Borders.
It’s a stunningly beautiful part of the country with a tight-knit farming community of welcoming and friendly people, and if I was going to choose anywhere else to live it might just be there.
We shot a few pheasants (well, everyone else did – as usual I couldn’t hit a barn door), saw some lovely countryside, shared a lot of laughs, ate plenty of incredible local produce, and drank far too much of their national drink.
See also: Workshop legends: 86-year-old serial inventor Arthur Howick
About the author
Despite the resulting headaches – some far worse than others – a great time was had by all.
During Saturday evening’s festivities, though, some very sad news was announced: the passing of local farmer and Scotland and Lions rugby legend Doddie Weir, after he finally lost his long and heroic battle with motor neurone disease.
I never met him, though I really wish I had. Many of the people I was with knew him well and, as you’d expect, spoke of him in the most glowing terms, with “absolute legend” being the most frequently used description.
Man of the match
I’ve always looked out for people from the farming community when watching sport, and I don’t suppose I’m the only one cheering them on that little bit more because it’s nice to see “one of our own” do well.
The man that commentator Bill McLaren once so memorably described during a rugby match as being “on the charge like a mad giraffe” met his diagnosis in 2016 with a grace and determination that humbled us all.
He took his greatness to yet another level with his incredible achievements over the past six years in championing the campaign for more to be done for fellow sufferers of the disease, both in terms of finding a possible cure, and improving treatment and the welfare of patients and their carers.
I can’t even begin to imagine the strength of character it must have taken to face up to what was ahead of him, let alone find the immense amount of positive energy that he dedicated to raising millions for the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation to help others in a similar situation.
What a legacy to leave behind, though, to make such a difference to so many people’s lives.
Despite their heart-breaking loss, his friends and family must be so very proud of his remarkable achievements and all the life that he put into his last few years.
Triumphant in tartan
For me personally, there’s one memory that stands out. With his huge frame, beaming smile, and distinctive tartan suit, he certainly wasn’t a man to be missed.
During the Wales v Scotland Six Nations match at Cardiff in 2018, he walked out on to the pitch to present the inaugural Doddie Weir Cup – and got the biggest cheer of the day from those of us high up in the stands; even bigger than the one Wales got for winning the game, which perhaps says it all.
That was the high regard in which this truly inspirational force of nature and greatest of men was held throughout the country, and every one of us will miss him.
But he’ll surely be missed the most by people within that tight-knit farming community in the Scottish Borders, who’ve lost a neighbour, friend and loved one. My heartfelt and deepest sympathies go out to all of you for your loss.