Donella Bartlett, 1950-2022
“ Ma shuidheas mi chan èirich mi - If I sit I won’t get back up. ” Th is was Donella Bartlett’s most common refrain, invariably uttered at the end of the day when most others would be in repose but she felt there was still some work to be done . It stands also for her life – spent striving on behalf of others, whether the family and friends she held so dear or the wider community she helped in her career as a civil servant. Born in Brue as the second youngest of the six Paterson sisters, or clann nighean Iain Thòsaidh, Donella’s childhood was shaped by the qualities which would come to define her. Her father John Paterson had the typical mid-century Lewisman’s assortment of careers – sailor, weaver, shopkeep - but is perhaps best remembered on Lewis for his time as a county councillor and his championing of the Harris tweed industry. In him Donella found an example of an entrepreneurial spirit tied to a sense of public service. Her mother Mary Paterson née Finlayson (M
