Honoured by Her Majesty the Queen
Four ‘extraordinary people’ from Argyll and Skye were recognised in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list this year, exemplifying ‘the very best of our nation’.
Archibald MacMillan, founder of The Kintyre Smokehouse, has been made a Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire ‘for services to the Scottish seafood industry’.
Mr MacMillan, from Carradale, East Kintyre, may receive his medal at the Palace of Holyroodhouse garden party on Wednesday July 4.
During more than half a century in the industry, Mr MacMillan, 72, has moved from working on a fishing boat, ring netting herring, to fine tuning a £60,000 computer-controlled smoker to create smoked products for worldwide export.
Mr MacMillan has six employees, one of whom said: ‘Archie was awarded an MBE for being the best boss.’
The man himself is the first to acknowledge that the firm’s success is a team effort.
He said: ‘It is the same in every business. You rely on having great staff or, on a fishing boat, a good crew and everything runs smoothly.
‘I never thought I would get anything like this. I am going to work at this till I drop. What else am I going to do? I am not going to sit in the house.’
An esteemed Gaelic singer and music teacher on Skye, Christine Primrose, has been awarded an MBE for services to Gaelic music, culture and education in Scotland and internationally.
Christine has been singing since she was a little girl growing up in Carolway, Lewis, immersed in traditional song. She first shot to fame in the traditional music world after winning a gold medal in sean-nós at the Royal National Mòd in 1974. She won the Gaelic Singer of the Year at the Scottish Traditional Music Awards in 2009.
She has been working at Sabhal Mòr Ostaig since 1982 and since 1993 has taught the Gaelic and Traditional Music (BA) course as well as short courses.
In Mid Argyll, Karen McCurry, manager of the Multiple Sclerosis Centre in Lochgilphead, was awarded a British Empire Medal (BEM) ‘for services to healthcare and charity’.
Nicholas Walker, director of the Puffer Preservation Trust based near Crinan Ferry and skipper of the VIC 32, has also been awarded a BEM ‘for services to tourism, marine heritage and charity’.