‘Wee Keithy’ was community giant who touched so many lives

SOME are considered legends of a town. In the space of 73 years, Keith Robertson became Alyth’s icon.

At 5ft 2in tall, ‘Keithy’ was a giant of the town, remembered fondly by almost all who had the good fortune to meet him.

The streets of Alyth were packed with hundreds of people on the day of his funeral last month.

Keith was very sociable and remarkably visible in Alyth. His love of football, bowling and meeting people took him far and wide across Scotland.

“In decades to come the vast majority of people, like myself, will be forgotten,” says former Alyth AFC secretary Kevin Smith.

“But the name of Keith Robertson will still be spoken about. For generations to come his name will be revered in this community, which is a testament to him.”

It is also a testament to the community in Alyth that Keith was able to flourish and live a life of expression and fulfilment.

He was born in 1948 with additional support needs. At no point in his life was he able to read or write.

“Back then, anyone born with learning difficulties wasn’t expected to live beyond 20,” says his niece Shona Robertson.

“Here, though, he was just treated the same as anyone else. He would not have had the life he had were it not for the town, and how he was accepted.”

After leaving school at 15, Keith never had a job in the formal sense but spent his days helping residents and businesses.

He had a routine that usually began with helping out at the Walker’s of Alyth bake house before heading over Airlie Street to the hairdresser (now called Rendezvous). Later in the morning he would knock on the door of the Airlie Street Bar and take bottles to the bank.

Shona, 53, says: “He was never in his own home. He was up and down the road doing wee chores.”

Mr Robertson passed away on February 21, 2021, dying of heart and kidney failure. The funeral took place at Dundee Crematorium on Monday, March 8.

Keith Robertson