When he was a lad, Alistair and his family came to NZ (1968 is when his biog says) and he used to sing with his sister Alison. They did a lovely version of 'Huntingtower' in one of our concerts that year.
He lived in Christchurch where he joined a group called Croodin Cant, singing unaccompanied British trad songs that wowed us all in the late 60s.
On one occasion a few members of the Wellington Folk Club bumped into them at the Wellington Railway station and were so pleased to see them. We weren't in a hurry and spent the next 10-15 minutes singing under the dome, with wonderful acoustics, echoing all around the railway station. I think it was a Saturday so there weren't great crowds but it was a memorable experience.
We were sorry to lose him to Oz but I guess he had more inspiration and better opportunities there.
When Gordon MacIntyre and Kate Delaney came to one of the Auckland Folk Festivals, they sang 'He fades away' and spoke about the writer, which reminded us of him and so the following year Alistair was the visiting guest. That was not long before he left Australia and returned to Scotland.
The rest you can read on the site Diane gave.
Robyn