The family of a young Orkney farmer is raising money to refurbish his beloved tractor as he asked them to do in his final letters.
Evan Tait left letters for his family to help them understand why he decided to take his own life at the age of 22.
The keen farmer asked that his John Deere 3650 be restored and kept “as part of (him)”, with it being showcased around Orkney at rallies and tractor runs whenever possible.
He said it was the “proudest thing” he owned.
Evan’s aunt, Lynn McBride, said the letters brought the family comfort, but that nothing could take away from the “gut wrenching” loss.
Funeral fit for a farmer
Those who knew him said farming was in Evan since he was a little boy, reversing tractors and trailers from as young as 10 in Birsay where he grew up.
He was always keen to help out on nearby farms. Mrs McBride said: “If he could help someone he would, he put people before himself all the time.”
Evan’s passion for farming resonated at his funeral when all his friends arrived in their own tractors and there were no suits in sight.
Along with flowers, soil from farms he had worked and lived on were scattered on his grave as a nod to his love of agriculture. There was also no singing as per his request.
The ashes of the family dog, Taz, were buried alongside Evan as they “couldn’t cope” with the thought of him sleeping alone.
Remembering the way local farmers came to stand at the bottom of their roads with their tractors as Evan’s funeral procession passed, Mrs McBride said: “We live in a world where there is so much love but you can’t see it, it takes something awful for it to come out.”
‘Evan perfect’
Evan’s John Deere 3650 was brought over from Hoy, where he had been working, in time for his funeral.
His siblings Alex and Ellis, close family friend Kyle MacKay, mum Karen Johnston and dad Ian Tait were there to welcome it as it arrived.
The family has now launched an online fundraiser so it can be fully restored. In the few weeks since he took his life, it has already raised more than £7,500 in donations.
Mrs McBride thinks the family will need around £10,000 to make the tractor “Evan perfect”.
She added it will be hard to see Evan’s favourite tractor once work on it is finished: “That’s going to be the saddest thing, I wish he could be here to see it once it’s done.”
The tractor will be shown in its current untouched state for the last time at Orkney Vintage Rally on August 6.
‘He said he was in too deep’
In light of Evan’s death, Mrs McBride wanted to raise awareness of the importance of looking out for young men’s mental health.
“People talk about all these signs in the media of people who are struggling with their mental health but Evan showed none of that,” she said.
“It’s so important that people know there aren’t always the typical signs. You don’t need to be depressed, you just need to be struggling.”
Mrs McBride hopes that by sharing Evan’s story, and that of the inescapable grief the family has been experiencing, another young life might be saved.
To donate to the fundraiser to restore Evan’s tractor, click here.
- For a non-judgemental, confidential conversation, call the Samaritans free on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org.
- The Samaritans also have an app which you can download to your phone, providing self-help tips. Find out more on the Samaritans website.
- You can also visit Scotland’s mental health charity here.
Conversation