Meet the Aberfeldy Man Who Has Already Bought a Stetson, a Bolo Tie and Some Boots ‘to Show Willing’
Retired joiner Wullie Grieve, 71, says twinning with Texas is 'an opportunity to finally wear a hat that means something'.
Highland Perthshire, now with added cowboy hats. Photo: Ealdgyth, “Felthat”, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0
Wullie Grieve, a 71-year-old retired joiner from Aberfeldy, was one of the first in town to embrace the Salado twinning — by buying a Stetson, a bolo tie, a pair of cowboy boots and, briefly, a lasso.
“I’m not saying I agree with everything about Texas,” said Wullie, adjusting his hat in the wind. “But you’ve got to be welcoming. If they’re coming here, they should see a friendly face. And a good hat.”
The boots have been less successful. “They’re not built for the Birks,” he admitted. “I went up there on Tuesday and had to come down on my backside. That’s not very cowboy.”
The lasso was returned after an incident involving his wife’s washing line. Wullie says he is now “practising on the dog, but she’s not keen”.
He hopes to visit Salado one day. “I’ve never been further than Blackpool,” he said. “But I’m told Texas is like Blackpool, only bigger and with more guns. I’ll take my own sandwiches.”
The real story: Aberfeldy twin town deal (The Courier)
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The views expressed are those of the reader, and frankly that's on them.
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That’s my Wullie. The lasso is in the shed now and staying there.
— Jean G., Aberfeldy, 30 October 2026 -
Wullie’s the best-dressed man in Aberfeldy for the first time in his life. Fair play.
— Alec D., Aberfeldy, 30 October 2026
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