Charlie Allan (farmer) explained

Charlie Allan (19 August 1939 – 13 December 2023) was a Scottish farmer, athlete, economist, journalist, author and broadcaster.

Life and career

Allan was born on 19 August 1939 in Stirling,^[1] while his parents were engaged in war work, and brought up in Aberdeenshire. He started his career as an economist, teaching at Glasgow, Strathclyde^[2] and St Andrews universities. In 1974 he decided to give this up to work on the family farm near Methlick.^{[3] [1]}

Allan produced and presented BBC Radio Scotland's twice-daily farming programme, Scottish Farming Life from their Aberdeen studios for five years, in the 1980s.^{[4] [5]}

Allan was active in many sports, including football, rugby, cricket and athletics at university and notably as a competitor in the Highland Games circuit, becoming world caber tossing champion in 1972.^{[4] [2]} He performed and recorded as a singer, particularly of bothy ballads.^{[4] [1]}

Allan died on 13 December 2023, at the age of 84.^{[6] [7]}

Selected publications

• The Theory of Taxation, Penguin Books^{[8] [1]}

External links

• BBC Radio Scotland - Good Morning Scotland, 22/01/2017, The Long Interview: Charlie Allan

Notes and References

1. Web site: BBC Radio 4 - Last Word, Annie Nightingale, Isca Salzberger-Wittenberg, Bryan Ansell, Charlie Allan. BBC. The Scottish farmer, economist, singer/songwriter, broadcaster and caber tossing champion. Last Word spoke to his former colleague Frieda Morrison and his daughter Susie Malcolm. Born 19 August 1939, died 13 December 2023, aged 84..
2. Web site: Allan, Charles M., b. 1939, economist - University of Strathclyde Archives and Special Collections. atom.lib.strath.ac.uk.
3. Web site: Charlie Allan | Birlinn Ltd - Independent Scottish Publisher - buy books online. Birlinn Ltd.
4. Web site: BBC Radio Scotland - Scotland Outdoors, Charlie Allan - A Tribute to a North East Man O' Pairts - Broadcaster, Writer, Farmer, Singer and Sportsman. 3 January 2024. BBC.
5. Web site: Charlie Allan - 1939 - 2023. Doric. Board. 16 December 2023.
6. Web site: Dozens turn out to say a last farewell to former world caber tossing champion and radio presenter Charlie Allan. 29 December 2023. Grampian Online.
7. Web site: The 'very full' life of Methlick's Charlie Allan: Caber toss champion, voice of farming and bothy balladier. Press and Journal. Lindsay. Bruce. 22 December 2023.
8. Book: Allan, Charles M.. The Theory of Taxation. 20 January 1971. Penguin. 978-0-14-080207-8 . Google Books.