Bob Sutherland - The Drummuir Shopkeeper 
By Alastair Taylor

Bob Sutherland lived in Drummuir for almost 60 years and although this article is mainly about him it is necessary to include other members of the family to give a more meaningful account of the family's Drummuir connection. 

Bob's grandfather was a gardener at Drummuir castle and lived in the gardener's cottage at Kirkton which was later to be much enlarged to form the factor's house and estate office. His father left school and became an apprentice grocer with Watt Bros in Dufftown. He must have received an excellent training as, at quite a young age, he started in business with has own shop in Drummuir. This was soon followed by the acquisition of an additional shop in Rhynie which was run by a manager. In the days of early transport the journey to Rhynie across the Cabrach was quite an undertaking and Bob used to recall his father putting newspaper inside his coat to keep out the cold wind. Anybody who is acquainted with the Cabrach would understand why. Perhaps the sale of the Rhynie shop had something to do with these journeys! 

Bob was one of five sons and three daughters and as the family grew up the business grew with the acquisition of a shop in Mulben and one at Gowanhill near Fraserburgh. The latter included a bakery and a farm in excess of 100 acres whilst the Mulben shop was similar in size to the one at Drummuir. 

The sons entered the business with Alick running the Mulben shop, Bob at Drummuir with Jockie and Jimmy at Gowanhill with his father. Eventually Alick took over the Mulben shop under his personal ownership and Gowanhill and Drummuir were run as a partnership known as A Sutherland and Sons. Jockie left to run his own fish and chip shop in Grantown leaving Bob at Drummuir with his sister Bessie looking after the house until he married Elma Roger from Fife-Keith. 

Bob and Elma had two children – Helen and Robert. The family was devastated when Helen died at the age of 11. She had been a very healthy outgoing girl who was extremely popular and was often seen helping in the shop from a young age. Her death was a severe blow to the close knit community. In 1958 the family was dealt a further blow when Jimmy died at the early age of 54. By that time Mr. Sutherland senior was dead (having died in 1947) and the two brothers were in a partnership which was then dissolved leaving Bob as the sole proprietor of the Drummuir shop. 

It was a surprise to everyone in Drummuir when, in 1959, Bob announced that he had decided to retire and move to Aberdeen. The business was sold to his sister-in-law (Alick having died by then) who ran the Mulben shop with her daughter and son-in-law. Many of the older generation were to miss the Sutherlands and it was not the same with strangers running the shop albeit the Sutherland name remained above the door of the shop and on the vans for some further time. 

In today's terms Bob would have been described as "laid back". He was softly spoken, would remain very calm in a crisis but had a very dry sense of humour. Often one was unsure whether Bob was being serious or not. However, it will never be known how often he lent a sympathetic ear or offered some good advice. For many years Bob suffered from severe arthritis of the knees to the extent that he could not bend them. He never complained but it is very likely that he was often in great pain. Fortunately he enjoyed his retirement in Aberdeen for almost 20 years – a well-earned rest. It is almost impossible to remember Bob being on holiday and it was not unusual for people to turn up in the evening or indeed on a Sunday for shopping and Bob never failed to open the shop whatever the hour! 

Robert was still at school when the family moved to Aberdeen. He has successfully run his own butchers shop in Aberdeen for over 30 years.

The End