Four honoured in Queen's Birthday List

Jun 19 2009 by Jackie Grant, Dumfries Standard Friday

A DUMFRIES woman is celebrating this week after being awarded an MBE in the Queen’s birthday honours for doing a job she loved.

Margaret Wolski, 57, says she still can’t believe that she has received the award for Services to the Scottish Textile Industry in recognition of her 42 years at Hunter Boot Ltd.

She said: “I am absolutely shocked and delighted. It is a lovely honour. My husband Frank, 85-year-old mother, four sisters, two brothers and my nieces and nephews are all over the moon.

“Hunter Boot meant a lot to me and I loved working there. I miss is terribly. It was very much a family firm. Just about every family in Dumfries knew someone who worked there.

“We will definitely be celebrating the MBE soon.”

Former Thornhill man Hamish MacPhee, principal psychologist with Fife Council, also received an MBE for services to children and families.

Hamish was born and brought up in Thornhill. He attended Wallace Hall Primary School and Morton Academy and completed his school education at Dumfries Academy.

Hamish maintains links with Dumfries and Galloway and is a frequent visitor. His mother, brother and his family, and two of his daughters and their families live in the region. Hamish also has many friends in the area.

He said to be nominated had come as a “considerable shock”.

Coxswain of Portpatrick Lifeboat, Robert Erskine, is to receive an MBE for Voluntary Service to Maritime Safety.

Robert started as a volunteer for the Royal National Lifeboat Institute in 1973 as a volunteer at Donaghadee in Northern Ireland. He moved to Girvan in Ayrshire as second coxswain in 1982 before settling in Portpatrick in 1984, where he has been ever since.

Father-of-three Robert said this week: “It was very hard keeping the news to myself when I heard. My family, especially my wife and my mother, who was a main fundraiser for the RNLI in Donaghadee, are over the moon. My colleagues are all chuffed to bits and although I’m the leader of the pack, I couldn’t do anything without the rest of the boys. It is great news for the whole community.”

A soldier who joined the army as a private straight from Stranraer Academy and rose to become General Commanding the army in Scotland and the North of England, has been made a CBE.

Major General David McDowall retired from the post in Edinburgh at the end of last month. When he joined the Royal Signals he served for six years in the ranks.

He was offered a commission and since then has gone on to command at all levels before assuming command of the UK 2nd division, made up of three brigades – one in Scotland, one in the north east of England and the other in the North West of England. Major General McDowall is married to Valerie and they have three children.