Shinty lost another stalwart when Willie MacDonald, Ballachulish passed away peacefully at the Belford Hospital, Fort William on Sunday 5 July 2015.
Willie was a Patron of the Camanachd Association and he was a member of the Camanachd Association’s Disciplinary Committee for many years. He was also a member of the Camanachd Referees Association.
Willie’s significant commitment to the game was recognised when he received the Camanachd Association’s Centenary Award for outstanding contribution to shinty at the Marine Harvest Awards in 2011.
Shinty historian Dr Hugh Dan MacLennan paid the following tribute in appreciation of Willie MacDonald, Ballachulish.
Willie MacDonald, Ballachulish
29 June 1932 – 5 July 2015 (Aged 83)
Joiner and Shinty Administrator
For the second time in a matter of days, shinty has been dealt another blow with the loss of another of the recipients of its highest awards for a lifetime’s service to the game.
Having married into a legendary Ballachulish shinty family in the mid-1950s, it was inevitable that Willie “Can” MacDonald would become immersed in the game. He was never, however, by his own admission, amongst the ablest of exponents of the caman, but went on to serve the game to an extraordinary degree locally and nationally from that point on.
One of a family of five, born and brought up in Ardgour opposite Fort William, young William went to the local Primary School before moving on to the “old” Fort William Secondary School across Loch Eil. While he played shinty at school, he never pursued an active playing career, with a motorbike accident in his younger days perhaps a contributory factor.
He began his working life as an apprentice joiner to Carly Campbell in Fort William cycling the 11 miles from Conaglen to Treslaig, to catch a ferry to the Fort and fulfil his day’s work, repeating the journey in the evening.
It was in the mid-fifties he met and married Margaret Lawrie, a niece of the legendary “Seedy” Lawrie of Ballachulish fame. They made their home in Park Road and his lifetime of community service to the village began, serving for fully half a century on the Jubilee Parks Committee and in virtually all the administrative positions of the shinty club as committee member, Secretary, Treasurer, President and Hon President until his passing. He latterly looked after the new clubhouse facility.
Willie experienced all the highs and lows of the community’s great interest in shinty with the club folding in 1958, and its resurrection through his own and others’ efforts six years later.
By then he had taken up employment along with many others in the British Aluminium Company works in Kinlochleven where he stayed all his subsequent working life as a joiner and latterly Estimator.
Willie was never a referee either, although it is through this aspect of the game that he made his longest lasting impression. He served on the ruling body’s Disciplinary Committee for 40 years and more and continued to be a Referees’ Assessor, guiding younger officials and monitoring those who knew better until the very end. Indeed this last weekend he was offering advice on the positioning of officials when corner hits were to be taken to a friend from Ballachulish from his hospital bed.
He also served on numerous man of the match selection panels at Cup Finals and was a member of the referees’ working group which chose official for cup finals and major matches.
Willie was also a Patron of the Camanachd Association and his lifetime commitment to shinty was recognised in 2011 when he was awarded the Marine Harvest Centenary Award, in the same way as Jack Asher of Glasgow who died just a few days before him. Willie was probably never more proud as a shinty man than when his son Willie Junior won the Camanachd Cup in the early 1990s, albeit with local rivals Fort William. An accomplished runner of the Ben Nevis race, Willie Jnr has a nephew John, who has also distinguished himself in football and shinty, and wore the red and white of Ballachulish to great effect, as well as the Fort’s colours. William was immensely proud of both individuals.
Incidentally, the name “Willie Can” or “Old Can” has attached itself to Willie senior. In fact, the name “Can” was bestowed on Willie Jnr by his father as a consequence of the younger man’s penchant for using a tin can to practise his “keepy-uppy” skills with the caman when a ball was not available.
Willie was also a church elder in St Mundas, the local Church of Scotland, as well as Session Clerk.
Willie was a quiet man who died peacefully in the Belford Hospital after a relatively short illness. He was a gentleman and a much-respected figure and he will be sorely missed for his West Highland humour and sage-like advice and his knowledge of the local area.
Pre-deceased by Margaret some two years ago, Willie leaves Willie Junior and a daughter Mary who have, between them, five grandchildren.
Willie’s funeral arrangements will be published shortly.
Thanks to Ewen Weatherspoon for his remarkable photo which was one of the 100 taken at the 100th Camanachd Cup Final in 2007.