O Lord look doon on Buchan
An a' its fairmer chiels!
For there's nae in a' Yer warld
Mair contermashious deils!

John Clark Milne wis born at Memsie  near the Broch in Buchan in 1897 tae a fairmin femly.  He wint on tae the Varsity o Aiberdeen far he deen affa weel academically afore becamin a dominie.  In later eers he wis Maister o Method it Aiberdeen College o Education far he warkit we Nan Shepherd.    His collection of verses, The Orra Loon was vrocht oot in 1946 and his collectit Poems in 1963 as a tribute efter he deid.  It wis Nan Shepherd fa editit them. ​

Jist efter the feenish o the waar, Milne taen oot a buik o poetry The Orra Loon.  As a makar, his wark wis full o humour an he wis rare it spikkin throuw the fowk he wis depicting.  His rich Buchan vocabulary wis aye used tae great effect an he hid a rare talent from rhyme.  

The fairmer winna ken but what I’m a glakit loon
That disna ken a doit aboot a muckle ferm toon,
But fegs! He’ll gie his lugs a shak and glower in ilka ee
Fin I am aince the orra loon at Mains o’ Pittendree.
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The northeastern poet and novelist Nan Shepherd helped prepare the latter edition of Milne's poetry, published after his death.[4] In 2009 the Buchan Heritage Society launched a CD on which well-known local performers and artists had collaborated in recording samples of his work. The society hoped that through hearing Milne's unique poetry children would help preserve the Doric tongue, which many in the area have forgotten.[5]
Work


Mony fowk saa Milne is the heir tae Charles Murray Hamewith a

FIT  WIS  THE  ORRA  MAN?
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The orra man or the orra loon wis the unskilled casual, odd job chiel on a ferm.  An variations o the wird is richt across Scots.  The Elgin Courant o 6 November 1953 gied explanation o a tractor orra-man:
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A tractorman is expected to drive and to maintain his machine — or at least to keep it clean and serviced. A tractor orra-man . . . is only expected to drive the tractor and can be called upon to do orra work as the rest of his job.

 The Dictionar o the Scots Leid gies the ither common eese in Doric:

​"Of persons or things: worthless, rejected, shabby, dirty, slatternly, low, coarse, unseemly, disreputable (Abd. 1825 Jam.; ne.Sc., Ags., Per. 1964). Also adv. Combs. orra-folk, the tramping fraternity, vagrants; orra-leukin, -like, also adv., in a careless- or untidy-looking manner".

Moray 1852 A. Christie Mountain Strains 73: "Some auld orra Jennys were buyin a fairin".
Aberdeenshire 1868  W. Shelley Wayside Flowers 226: "Nae caird-wife not beggar-man passes or spares him; 'Mang orra folk Clapper is kend far and wide".
Aiberdeenshire 1880 W. Robbie Yonderton 14:  "There's hardly ever a nicht but we hiv some orra-leukin' craetur or ither aboot the toon".
Angus 1891 Barrie Little Minister i. vi.: "“Let us hear how this gypsy struck you. How was she dressed?” . . . “A tasty stocky, but gey orra put on.”
NE Scots 1920 Rorie Auld Doctor 24:  "An' while that baith the twa o' them Were sayin' some orra wordies.
Aiberdeenshire 1928 J. Baxter A' Ae 'Oo' 26: "Tae hear my native music played A' doon yon orra street". 

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