Thomas Weir MBE, better known as Tom (December 29,
1914 - July 6, 2006) was a Scottish
climber, author and broadcaster. He was best known for his
long-running television series
Weir's Way.
Early life and career
Weir was
born in Springburn
, Glasgow
, and was the
younger brother of actress Molly Weir. After service in the
Royal Artillery during
World War II, he worked as a surveyor for the Ordnance Survey
before commencing a full-time career as a climber,
writer and photographer.
In 1950 he
was a member of the first post-war Himalayan
expedition and, in 1952, was one of the first to
explore the previously closed mountain ranges of Nepal
, east of
Kathmandu
.
Media career and later life
Weir became a pioneering campaigner for the protection of the
Scottish environment, and wrote a column for
The Scots Magazine for over 50
years. From 1976, he hosted the
Scottish Television series
Weir's
Way, meeting the people of Scotland, exploring the landscape
and its natural history. The show has recently been aired again on
STV, and is now available on DVD in the UK. He
won the Scottish Television 'Personality of the Year Award' in
1978. He was appointed MBE in 1976.
Weir lived
in Gartocharn
and in 2000 he was awarded the inaugural John Muir Lifetime
Achievement Award by the John Muir
Trust in recognition of his environmental work. He is
also celebrated in the song
"Tom
Weir" written by Edinburgh musician Sandy Wright and performed
by the band
Aberfeldy. More
recently,
L. Pierre wrote an ambient instrumental song,
"Weir's Way", featured on his album, "Dip".
Weir was
buried on 17 July 2006 in Kilmaronock
Parish Church, near Drymen at 2pm. He was
buried in the same plot as his sister Molly.
DVD Release
A collection of some of Tom Weir's best walks is currently
available on DVD. Both series of Weir's Way are available on DVD,
distributed by
Acorn Media UK.
External links
References
Wikis
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