Jimmy’s in a field of dreams Medal for tractor man
Jimmy and his beloved tractor Jimmy Hutchison was only five-yearsold when he tagged along with his big sister to work at the potato picking on a local farm – and he’s never missed a tattie harvest since.
This Saturday at the Perth Show, Crieff tractor man Jimmy (75) will be presented with a specially engraved, rare 60 years’ service medal from the Royal Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland, marking a lifetime in the career he loves.
Jimmy secured work with Tainsh contractor farmers originally at The Holdings with the late Jimmy Tainsh senior.
And throughout his service, he’s worked alongside four generations of the Tainsh family, now based at Drummond Earnoch near Comrie.
Reflecting on his life, Jimmy said: “As a wee lad I was just a pest and they used to throw me in the back of the trailer with the tatties.
“It wasn’t until I was 15-years-old that I could go to work full-time for £4 a week.
“I wanted to be on the farm. I’ve always loved tractors and I’ve always loved the outdoors. Farm tractor man was my ideal job.
“It was tough in those days – long hours, hard physical labour and cold and wet when the weather turned bad.
“But we were fit – lifting, carrying and shifting heavy loads all the time.”
Jimmy did everything from hoeing and thinning turnips to sitting on the seeder to ensure the flow of grain before he secured his permanent place as tractor man.
“I went through my test on an old Fordson Major and it was raining,” he recalled. “The examiner gave me an emergency stop as we were going up a hill – it couldn’t do anything but stop.
“My first new tractor was a £600 Super Major and I thought it was the best thing ever.
“Nowadays a tractor will do a huge field in a day and they’re luxurious machines to drive – it’s very different times.
“There’s nothing like it. Working away on the hills spraying thistles or ploughing the land. It’s fantastic.
“We had so many laughs in the old days. It was great camaraderie and I made many great chums.
“Maureen (Jimmy’s wife for 53 years) deserves this medal just as much as me.
“She’s had to deal with me working all hours and then coming home covered in grass and muck.”
Jimmy has a huge love for gardening but isn’t ready to retire just yet.
He added: “The Tainsh family still call on me to do work and when they stop making those calls I’ll know the time has come to step off the tractor for good.”
But that will only be in a working capacity as Jimmy has bought and restored a little red 1970 135 Fergie which he takes for drives out and about in Crieff.
And on Saturday he will enjoy centre stage as he collects his 60 years’ service medal at Perth Show.
“I feel so very proud to receive this medal,” he said. “It represents a lifetime in a medal and it’s a lifetime I wouldn’t swap for anything.”