22 February 2008

Mary Blance

Try as I might, I truly can’t imagine what Shetland in the last half of the twentieth century would have been like without John Graham because his influence on our educational, political and cultural life is so extensive. In roles such as teacher, scholar, writer, mentor, politician, historian, folklorist and storyteller his life touched and made a difference to so many others. He’s left us a rich legacy of publications and recordings with which he was directly or indirectly involved but for many his affect is less tangible. In conversations with others since he died, two words have cropped up over and over again – “generous” and “encouraging”.

John was born in 1921. He grew up on a croft in Tingwall. Like many another lad he wanted to go to sea so he refused to go to the Anderson Educational Institute in Lerwick when he passed his “control” and insisted on going to the Central school instead, because he wanted to leave and get to work as soon as possible. It was a trip on the St Magnus when he was extremely sea-sick that forced him to change direction and instead of joining the Merchant Navy he started work in an office.

He had a vivid memory of the day at Clark’s knitwear place in Aith when his fellow office worker showed him a copy of Scranna, the poem by J. J. Haldane Burgess. The teenage John was so excited to discover that his own dialect could be written in such a vital style that he typed up the poem and memorised it. It was a significant moment in his life.

In 1941 he volunteered for the RAF, training as a pilot . By the end of the war he was in Bomber Command but earlier he’d had his first experience of teaching as a flying instructor. After he was demobbed in 1946 he accepted the chance to improve his education and went to University in Edinburgh. He might have spent a life in writing because his first choice of career was journalism but he decided teaching might suit him better.

He appreciated his good fortune when he got his first job in 1950 as head of the English department at the Institute, the school he’d rejected as a boy. He was there till he became headmaster at the Central School in 1966 and later the first head teacher of the Anderson High School, created when the two schools merged with the introduction of Shetland’s unique comprehensive system in 1970. By the time he retired in 1982, his immense contribution to education had been recognised nationally with an OBE. He’d also earned the regard of his fellow educationalists who gave him the Fellowship of the teaching union, the EIS.

A gifted communicator and storyteller, John got a genuine thrill and enjoyment from teaching both English and history. He was an inspiring teacher and admitted that he found it “congenial” to have a job where he was sharing his own love of literature and language. Throughout his career he kept his hand in with some teaching even when he was head-master because he believed that “da classroom is da key ta da schule.” In the classroom he encouraged youngsters to hold opinions and join in debates, an innovation is his day. All his pupils will have particular memories but I remember him bringing to life a subject that had failed to rouse me by telling us a story of his own experience in the boxing ring. I also appreciate how he nurtured my love of reading, lending me books he thought I’d enjoy from the big cupboard in his room. He also encouraged many a fledgling writer in their school days who’ve since blossomed into print..

After he retired, Aberdeen University gave him an honorary degree recognising his contribution to both education and literature.

The list of publications he was associated with is very impressive though the one book that will be in nearly every Shetland house is his Shetland dictionary. It was published initially by Thule Press in 1979 then revised and reprinted down the years by the Shetland Times. It’s a local best-seller every year. What John collected in his dictionary were “words and expressions which I have personally encountered” and he added to them in subsequent editions. Another tool for people interested in the dialect was the “Grammar and Usage of the Shetland Dialect” on which he and T.A. Robertson collaborated in 1952. As president of the Shetland Folk Society he was behind the initiative to get Jakobsen’s dictionary reprinted in 1985.

In 1964, working again with T. A. Robertson, the two men produced a classic collection of Shetland poetry and prose for use in local schools. “Nordern Lichts” was published by the Shetland County Council’s education committee, giving the stamp of approval to the local dialect’s place in the Shetland curriculum.

Then there’s John Graham, novelist, who chose the fictional route to relate aspects of Shetland history which fascinated him. In “Shadowed Valley” he turned to the clearances in Weisdale, where he had family connections. This novel came out in 1987 and was the first to win the Shetland Literary Prize. Five years later, his second novel won the prize. That was “Strife in the Valley” set in the earlier period of famine in the 1790’s, and its hero is a teacher. John would already have been on top of the research for that novel since he’d been studying the history of education for many years. That effort culminated in “A Vehement Thirst after Knowledge – Four Centuries of Education in Shetland” which came out in 1998 and saw John’s name added to the Shetland Literary Prize for a third time

By 1998, John was beginning to withdraw from public life and that was the year that he and his brother Lollie chose to step down as editors of the quarterly periodical, the New Shetlander. They had taken over the reins from its founder Peter Jamieson in 1956. Their association went back even earlier since both had had poems printed in the magazine in the late 40’s when they were students. Those decades when they were at the helm took Shetland from a depressed to a boom economy and they ensured it reflected the political, cultural and literary life of the community, from ding-dong battles about Shetland’s future to the work of exciting new writers who often sought advice. In 1992, John and Lollie completed an anthology of Shetland poetry from the earliest times to the present. It was no small thanks to their encouragement of contemporary writers that there was so much modern writing to include.

John’s final venture into print was a collection of humorous Shetland stories. He always had a ready smile, a twinkle in his eye and a story to hand when you met him. Shetland Folk Society evenings were a fine time to catch the stories and Folk Books a place to find them now but John’s interest in Shetland’s heritage extended to music as well and he was proud of the Folk Society’s role in promoting Shetland fiddle music with the Young Fiddler of the Year competition which the Society still organises.

With his earlier leaning towards journalism, it isn’t surprising that John took a close interest in Shetland’s media and he supported the idea of Shetland having its own radio station. As the BBC prepared to go on air with Radio Shetland in 1977, John accepted the chairmanship of the Advisory committee, set up as a link between the broadcasters and the views of the local community. He took part in the very first “Good Evening Shetland” welcoming listeners to the new station and pointing out its potential to benefit the community. He took a keen interest in the local station’s development, contributing to a range of programmes. I remember a lovely afternoon in the company of John and the late James John Hunter from Unst as John drew out the older man’s stories for an “In Aboot Da Night.” John didn’t confine himself to parochial concerns in broadcasting. He was also a member of the BBC’s Broadcasting Council for Scotland which gave him an opportunity to speak out against the excessive violence he felt was portrayed on television.

John’s life might have been full enough with all that – but he had a vision of a Shetland, confident and in control of her own affairs, which led him to join forces with other like-minded local politicians. He’d been active in the Shetland Council of Social Service which had a developmental role in earlier years but by the end of the 1970’s he had become involved with the informal “Shetland group”. He was one of the founding members when it was launched as the Shetland Movement. They produced a manifesto and fielded a parliamentary candidate . When he finished his teaching career, John seized the opportunity to become active in local politics and he represented Sound on the SIC for twelve years until 1994. Keen on sport, he was an early supporter of bringing the Island Games to Shetland.

With all this experience and knowledge to tap into, it’s not surprising that students from all over the world beat a path to his door with questions about Shetland for their research. They were always welcomed and as one remarked this week “he was helpful, generous and gracious”. Nor was his encouragement confined to those who sought it. A friend who’d written an article for Shetland Life was delighted to get a phone call from John complimenting her on her writing. Another friend recalling her school days was enthusiastic of her experience as a pupil “it changed me” she said. Still another ex-pupil said “I remember when his first bairn was born, he couldn’t contain his joy. He talked about it.”

And that’s another important facet of John’s life, that of husband and father – the handsome young man who fell in love with the attractive young woman. He and Beryl Smith married and their lives were enriched by three sons and two daughters, and now grand-bairns.

Some years ago I interviewed John and Lollie Graham together about their years at the New Shetlander and asked them why they’d done it, what they’d got from all the hard work. They’d enjoyed it, they told me, and John added simply “that’s the essence of it.” Considering John Graham , a modest man, and all his achievements in both private and public life, that’s what strikes me – the essence is that he enjoyed it, and shared that enjoyment ..