AN UNFINISHED REVOLUTION

“Louise was a feminist, a peace activist and a socialist bold and true.”

For all who knew Louise Robertson these words, shared on Facebook by Les, her husband of 55 years, captured the essence of this much-loved Vale woman.

Louise leaves behind a legacy of hope and inspiration both in the form of the ground-breaking organisations she helped establish and in the hearts of almost everyone who knew her.

She was in at the start of so many positive initiatives in the community; from Faslane Peace camp and Dumbarton District Womenʼs Aid to Haldane Peopleʼs Theatre and Alternatives Recovery service and, more recently, A Brew & a Blether and Friends of Drumkinnon Woods.

Clydesider was fortunate to have Louise attend some of our early planning meetings and she inspired our ʻIn Peace & Revolutionʼ multi-media heritage project about local community activists.

Her passion for people also took her to the centre of local and national campaigns to protect services and human rights, from Greenham Common campsites to striking minersʼ picket lines, from Save the Vale Hospital marches to sit-ins to stop sheltered housing closure...

Louise was there willing to lend a hand, an ear, a placard and her voice.

A tattoo on her arm read ʻthe unfinished revolutionʼ with the CND and feminist logos either side of the Christy Moore album title.

Friends In Arms

This brief collection of stories from a few of her closest friends aims to preserve the inspiration for change that will always be Louise Robertson.

Adrienne McAulay recalls getting to know Louise when the Robertsons returned from Faslane Peace Camp.

“We were both involved in the Labour Party at the time. It was 1984, the middle of the minersʼstrike and Louise was involved in organising meetings and trying to raise money and awareness for them.”

Both women lived in Haldane which was then designated an ʻArea of Priority Treatmentʼ.

“This meant we could use places like Mill Hall for free. Louise suggested we set up a Womenʼs Group, so I got involved. There werenʼt many of us at the start, but it grew.

“Our friendship was cemented by working together for women- we would go out to support women who were struggling in abusive relationships, even before the refuge existed.”

The forerunner to Dumbarton District Womenʼs Aid, the Womenʼs Group provided a safe space for local women to meet, talk, learn new skills and share ideas.

And it was through this group that Ann Pryce first met Louise.

Struggling with the loss of her youngest brother, Ann was referred to the group by a local GP.

“I didnʼt really know anyone, and I was terrified of speaking up; through the group I started meeting new people, it actually changed my life - it probably saved my life,” Ann remembers.

It was also the start of a friendship with Louise which would span the next 40years.

Helping Hands

This core group of women, including Louise, Ann and Adrienne, then worked with the local authority to establish Dumbarton District Womenʼs Aid.

Adrienne remembers it wasnʼt without its struggles as a small group of locals opposed the plans, but Louiseʼs “strength, spirit and humour” kept them going.

“The day before the refuge was due to open a woman knocked at the door to ask if she could have a place. We were concerned she would be alone, so we agreed on a rota of women to keep her company.

“But by the end of the first week the refuge was full - it took 10 women. It just showed what the need was.”

Ann and Louise worked together at the refuge. “It is how I got to know Louise really well - I was the Childrenʼs worker and Louise was a Support worker.

“Louise had such a passion for the community, and for the local women in particular. I remember we organised several Reclaim the Night marches after some serious attacks in the Vale and she always stood by her beliefs.”

Humour Through Hardships

Although dealing with some of the most serious issues on this planet, Louise had an ability to make them meaningful and manageable.

Ann laughs as she remembers Louise wearing a mop-head as a judgeʼs ʻwigʼ for a play about womenʼs rights and equal pay.

“We had a Drama group and a Creative Writing group and were part of CANS - the Community Arts Network Strathclyde. They wanted us to put on a play about the refuge, and Peter Mullan and Peter Arnott came down to work with us.

“We took it on tour through all the Unemployed Workers groups and then to Glasgow Green on May Day - we had such a laugh. I never knew anyone like her. I didnʼt know anything about feminism or the things she used to fight for before I met her.

“If there was something needed doing, she would just get up and do it - she was amazing, a force of nature and one of the most caring people I know.”

Peace For All

Councillor Jim Bollan represents the Community Party on West Dunbartonshire Council - a local party which Louise helped establish.

He remembers: "Louise was a fierce fighter for peace and equality all her adult life. She was inspirational and would have faced a lion for her beliefs.

“Louise, along with Les, was a founder member of Faslane Peace Camp to oppose Trident nuclear weapons and was arrested and imprisoned many times for calling out the abhorrence of these weapons of mass destruction.

“During the Iraq war, Louise, Les and I dressed up in white boiler suits and entered the Base to inspect for weapons of mass destruction.

“At the trial, we wore the white boiler suits we had worn on the Base.

“The Sheriff said: ʻTake off those ridiculous clothes in my Court,ʼ to which Louise instantly replied, ʻHave you looked in the mirror this morning?ʼ"

“Louise spoke truth to power all her adult life and judged nobody.”

Jim also recalls Louise playing a key role in the six-month sit-into keep open Leven Cottage sheltered housing complex in Alexandria.

“As a result, Robert and Annie, the two elderly residents, were allowed to stay in their home for the rest of their lives.

“Louise detested the inequality that is woven through our society. She never wavered in this struggle. Her ideals were rooted in Socialism and the struggle against poverty and inequality.

“It was a privilege to have known her."