It was in the early nineteen nineties that Colin Roderick Short first introduced me to the great highland bagpipe. "Doddy" Short tutored me on the chanter and then the pipes and thanks to his patience and skill I was eventually able to play a few simple tunes. I was no musician and rather than becoming a band member I became involved in the administrative side of highland games. Thus my initial encounter with Doddy led to me making many friends among pipe band members, and among the wider highland games circle of heavy athletics, highland dancing and clans and of course Xmarksthescot.
Doddy Short and his brother worked for many years for Pringle Knitwear until they founded Short Brothers, manufacturing kilt hose, which continues in business today.
Doddy's wife has been in failing health with multiple sclerosis in recent years. Over the past few years, we would often meet in the park as we wheeled our wives round the paths in their wheelchairs.
Doddy died suddenly last week.
A packed church for the funeral service testified to the influence which Doddy had on many people. Many weel kent faces from the kilt world were in attendance, including Robin Deas, proprietor of Hawick's other kilt hose maker, The Hawick Sock Company, House of Cheviot

Hawick Pipe Band led the funeral cortege to the grave side.

The band's ranks were swelled by a few other pipers who had been friends of Doddy.

The honour of playing Flowers of the Forest at the interment fell to Cammy Renwick, current Pipe Major of Hawick Pipe Band.