Rhoda Bulter
Rhoda Jernetta Ann Johnson was born on 15 July 1929 in 2 Gardie Court, at the centre of old Lerwick, Shetland. Growing up next door to the Market Cross, she had “da street” as her playground, and busy Lerwick Harbour only yards away. Her father, Jerry Johnson, came from Wast Houlland, Waas, Shetland and her mother – Barbara Huano Thomason – from Lunnasting, Shetland.
In 1939 when war broke out, her mother took Rhoda, aged ten, to live with her Auntie Joan at the croft of Da Horn, Lower Skelberry, Lunnasting, and Rhoda’s experience of life there later inspired much of her poetry. She returned to Lerwick for her secondary education and after completing a Commercial Course, left school, and worked in several offices in Lerwick. She obtained work at Lerwick Meteorological Observatory where she met her future husband, Dennis Bulter, from London. They married in 1949 and over the next 16 years they had seven children.
The poetry which had been a creative outlet for years began to be published in “The New Shetlander” from 1965, beginning with “Rhymes for a Shetland Nursery”, then “Mair Bairn Rhymes” and the poem “Whin we wir Yowng”. Many more followed and in due course books of her dialect poetry, with her own illustrations, were published: Shaela (1976) and A Nev Foo a Coarn (1977) sold out so quickly that they were republished in 1978 as a combined volume entitled “Doubled-Up; Link-stanes“(1980) and Snyivveries (1986) followed. Over time all these publications became sold out. Collections of poems were also released as recordings: “Bide a start wi Me” (1976); and “My Kinda Fül” (1977). During this time Rhoda was active in concert parties and events throughout Shetland and visiting Orkney and the Scottish mainland. Her writing and poetry became exclusively in Shetland dialect.
A rich career blossomed in writing, performing, and broadcasting; with her poems appearing in several countries and publications.
Rhoda died suddenly on 07 July 1994.
Following her death, her husband Dennis sought to republish her poetry in a combined volume that included more recent poems and some hitherto unpublished poems. Dennis asked his family to complete this task, and Hairst is Coosed was published in 2014. He also sought re-release of the recorded collections. This led to release of digital CDs including a collection of poems Caald Clods and Tinder, recorded in the 1970’s but never released to the public until 2010.
Read the poems
Further Information
Useful link: Shetland ForWirds – Profile of Rhona Bulter