A member of a group of fishermen seeking to avoid eviction from a traditional Aberdeen harbour has lost his long-fought battle with cancer.
Billy Robertson, known to his friends and family as Briggies, died on Saturday after years of treatment for oesophageal cancer.
The 73 year-old former trawlerman had been part of the Cove Fishermen’s Association, a group that represents the owners of the small fleet of around 11 boats berthed at the historic Cove Harbour.
The organisation is currently locked into an ongoing legal conflict to decide whether or not the fishermen can keep their boats in the bay, which families have used for generations.
Last night Mr Robertson’s daughter Mandy said her father was a well-known face at the waterfront, and was renowned for his fishermen’s tales.
She said: “He had been fighting the disease since 2012.
“He was a very jolly person – he always had stories to tell, and always with a smile on his face.
“He would give anybody anything that they needed, even if it was the last penny in his pocket, he would have given it away to someone who needed it more than he did.
“I think that his boat down there, the Norness, is his second or third boat at Cove Harbour, but he’s always had a link to there with the fishing.
“He was always down at the harbour, and he wasn’t shy in speaking to people that walked by, telling them stories about what happened out at sea, what he used to catch and so on.
“He truly was a people person.”
Jim Adam, the chairman of the Cove Fishermen’s Association said: “He was a real character, a lot of people knew him and he was a strong supporter, when he was able, when it came to our dispute.
“Our association is down to six now. It’s hit the other fishermen pretty hard.
“Billy had been ill for quite some time, so we had him removed from the defender’s list for the dispute due to his poor health some time ago.
“He’ll really be missed by everyone at the harbour, and our thoughts are with his family.”
