THE great-great grandson of the St Ronan’s Borders Games founder James Hogg made a special trip to Innerleithen to see what all the fuss was about.

Bruce Gilkison travelled from his home in New Zealand to check out the event established in 1827 by the man known as the Ettrick Shepherd - and the town immortalised in Sir Walter Scott’s novel St Ronan’s Well.

And the 65-year-old told the Peeblesshire News: “It’s so much bigger and better than I expected. My thoughts were that Innerleithen would be a quaint little place with not much going on but it’s not like that at all.

“The celebrations we have at home such as an arts festival are so much smaller and we certainly have nothing with the tradition of the St Ronan’s Festival.” A keen camper, Bruce spent the eve of the Cleikum Ceremonies in a tent on Tweedside Caravan Park.

“I’m used to sleeping under canvas so I wasn’t too bothered about being cold and I had my camping coat to keep me warm,” said the consultant from Nelson on the northern coast of New Zealand’s South Island.

He was in the Borders last autumn and visited the James Hogg exhibition at Ettrick after camping at nearby St Mary’s Loch.

“I was over here last year as I am writing a book about my great-great grandfather’s travels around Scotland but I was too late to go to last year’s St Ronan’s Games,” he said.

“I contacted the Games chairman Keith Belleville about coming along this time and I was made a special guest. Everybody has made me so welcome and I have enjoyed myself immensely.” Bruce’s link to the Ettrick Shepherd comes through Hogg’s daughter Harriet who married Robert Gilkison. They emigrated to New Zealand, taking with them Bruce’s grandfather, also called Robert.

Bruce’s own father was named Walter Scott Gilkison and his uncle James Ettrick Gilkison, ensuring that the Gilkison family would not forget their Borders ancestry.

“There are many similarities between the Borders and where I come from in New Zealand,” said the father of two. “I was brought up in Dunedin and I am still a big fan of the rugby team there.

“Dunedin has many links with Scotland - many of the streets are named after Edinburgh streets and I grew up with the bagpipes, so it almost feels like I am at home.” Bruce produced peals of laughter from the audience when he later spoke at the guests’ reception at St Ronan’s Wells.

“Kia ora, greetings from New Zealand. It’s wonderful to be here and I am honoured to be invited to say something,” he said.

“There’s a couple of reasons that I might have been invited - one is that James Hogg was my great-great grandfather, he was of course involved with setting up the Games and I think it’s worked very, very well!

“The other reason I might have been invited is that I have come further than anyone else to get here - the only reason I might be wrong is if there’s anyone here from Stewart Island or the Chatham Islands!” Bruce was asked to present one of the trophies at the Sports Day and planned visits to Stirling, the Highlands and the Isle of Lewis before returning to New Zealand.