Tireless and devoted doctor who lived her life to the full
Dr Sheila MacLeod: An appreciation
Sheila MacLeod, who has died in her 81st year, will be remembered by the Arran community and beyond as a GP with extraordinary diagnostic skills and for her tireless and enthusiastic work as secretary of the Arran Hospital Supporters’ League. But she was also a hotel landlady, a caring wife, loving mother and very proud gran and great-grandmother.
Sheila was born in Cambuslang in 1936, the only child of David and Catherine Donald. David was a solicitor and Catherine was herself a doctor. Both parents, and Sheila’s education at George Watson’s Ladies’ College in Edinburgh, were a major and formative influence on Sheila’s character and positive attitude to public service.
Sheila qualified in medicine in 1960 from Edinburgh University Medical School and later held posts as house surgeon at Galashiels; house physician at the Eastern General Hospital in Edinburgh; spent time in the neonatal paediatrics department at Simpson Maternity Pavilion; and the obstetrics and gynaecology department in Edinburgh, before going on to become the consultant anaesthetist at Falkirk Royal Infirmary.
When Sheila came to Arran, she brought with her a wealth of medical, clinical and surgical experience.
Her Arran connection dated to before the war when she had holidayed with her parents at Dunedin House, Machrie, and the Breadalbane Hotel in Kildonan.
The family albums show these as traditional boarding house holidays with golf, tennis, visits to Pladda, motor outings and visitors putting on their own evening entertainments with such things as fancy dress parties.
While at Falkirk, Sheila had met and married Hugh, becoming a much loved step-mother to Sandie. David was born in 1972 and Malcolm in 1974. Sheila was an excellent mother to the boys and to Niall, Sandie’s son. When Hugh was made redundant in 1979, the family moved to Arran, first to High Trees in Lamlash and then to the Argentine Hotel in Whiting Bay. Guests became lifelong friends and enjoyed Sheila’s cooking – soups, shortbread, apple pie and even freshly-caught lobster.
During this time, Sheila was working as full-time mum, full-time landlady; part-time GP and part-time anaesthetist at the Arran War Memorial Hospital.
The family moved to Elleray, at Knockenkelly, in 1986 to allow Sheila to focus on full-time hospital duties. It was just about this time that she gave guidance to Sandie MacLeod, Margaret McNab and Sandra Hall in their setting up of the Hospital Supporters’ League.
In her role as clinical director, Sheila MacLeod maintained acute services on Arran until her retirement as consultant anaesthetist in 2000.
In retirement, Sheila spent a good deal of her time caring for others: at first her step-daughter Sandie, whom she was to lose to cancer, and then her husband Hugh after his stroke. Yet she also continued with her hospital supporters’ work.
Sheila did not suffer fools gladly. She once shocked a meeting of administrators who wanted to make hospital savings by cutting the number of cleaning staff. Sheila explained to them (if ‘explained’ is the word) how very important hospital cleaning staff are. Her mind also remained as sharp as a needle.
Since schooldays she had been taking part every two or three years in a survey in Edinburgh of the same age group to do with their mental health.
Becoming a bit more tired, she had to be persuaded the last time that she ought to undertake the journey so as to contribute to the database.
She came back a bit disappointed. ‘Och, I just got the same score as I did the first time when I was at school.’ The ‘same score’ was 48/50, completed in just over half the time available for the test.
Sheila is survived by the three boys; their wives, Suzie, Iona and Kerry; her grandchildren Abigail, Daniel, Ruby, Matthew, Rory; and her great-granddaughter Freya.
Having been an only child herself, Sheila relished that these young people are much of an age and get on so well with each other.