We're all struck at the passing away of Stanley. Our thoughts and prayers are with Joanne and family at this moment.

My two most immediate memories of Stanley are, a good while ago, after an evening of storytelling somewhere, we all congregated in David Campbell's flat (Edinburgh) and it was one of those rare occasions when the late Duncan (Williamson) and Stanley were sitting together and Duncan put his arm around Stanley's shoulder and said "Cam oan baldie gee's us a song!" and Stanley began on his superb rendition of ''The Laird o' the Drum' during which Duncan listened intently with tears running down his cheek. It was a golden and precious moment in time. One I'll take to my grave.

One of the last things I ever heard Stanley say publicly, was at the Nordic conference last November at the SCC when he said: " When we used tae tell stories we niver thoucht aboot money, we just simply telt them or geed them as a kindness" That just about says it all.

That's how I remember Stanley, as kindly spiritual man.

Heerio auld freend,

Paraig and Ali