Scotsman Obituaries: Murdo Morrison, Isle of Lewis postman, barman, Coastguard and fire brigade volunteer

Murdo Morrison was an unofficial news service for his customers

For all that the majority of his existence took place in Ness at the northern tip of the Isle of Lewis, the life of Murdo Morrison – the one we all knew as Freckles – had a much wider relevance than that.

Some of this stems from the fact that he was diagnosed as suffering from Type 1 diabetes at the age of 19 months. This task was performed by the local GP, Dr Henderson, whose skills and insight were praised by the medical staff in a Glasgow hospital who confirmed his judgment a short time later.

There is no doubt that the condition had a huge effect on Murdo’s childhood – both when his parents lived in a tenement flat in Caird Drive in Partick, Glasgow and, later, when they moved back to their family home in South Dell in Ness. He was continually afflicted throughout much of his childhood by his disease.

Murdo was fortunate in his parents. His father Iain worked for a time as a weaver in a village shed, his remarkable and distinctive singing voice often echoing above the noise of his loom, entertaining passers-by with one Gaelic song after another.

His mother Ciorstaidh – who also came from the district – spent her time taking care of both Murdo and his younger sister Erica, as well as her mother-in-law who lived in a small cottage not far away. A religious and resilient woman, she is still alive today in her nineties.

In Murdo’s schooldaysthere were occasions when his symptoms came into open view for those of us who were his classmates. This was especially true on our long walks home from school when he would sometimes suffer from a severe diabetic attack.

There were times, too, when he became a little reclusive, nervous at leaving his home in the dark. It also affected Murdo’s academic progress. I recall having a conversation with him after he passed his Qualifying exam in primary school. He shrugged his shoulders when he told me he was unable to go to Stornoway to continue his schooling there. Given the nature and scale of his illness, both hostel life – which we had to go through at that time – and a large secondary school in the town over 20 miles away would have been an impossible experience.

Yet there is little doubt that in his adult life Murdo did all he could to expand his horizons. He worked as a local postman for 38 years, retiring in October 2021. Together with passing on letters and parcels, a vital element in that particular occupation is to pass the news of all that was happening in the district from one door to the next. Sometimes this was done with the wit and humour that became more and more part of his personality as the years went on. On other occasions, particularly when the local news was dark and involved loss and grief, his tone was gentle and tactful.

It was not the only job Murdo did, especially when he had a young family to look after. He also worked as a barman in Cross Inn, the local pub. His wit and humour were an essential part of his employment there.

Later his horizons widened. He was heavily involved in the setting up of the South Dell fire brigade which later amalgamated with the Ness fire brigade as a whole, working there for more than 30 years. He was the sub-officer in charge of the fire station which has stood within the village of South Dell from 2001, a short distance from the old Church which his parents used to attend most Sunday evenings.

In itself, this was a remarkable and necessary change, a great improvement on the wooden shed that was the fire station in the district for much of our youth.

Murdo was also in charge of the local coastguards for years, assisting in many rescues and marine incidents that occurred and also being partly responsible for bringing a Coastguard office to South Dell.

His years there came to an end a short time after he had been involved in the search for a man and his son in a tragic incident in August 2007. This had no connection to his dismissal from his role – an action that later showed the loyalty of those who worked alongside him. They responded to the Marine and Coastguard Agency’s actions by resigning from their posts.

John Mackay, the local councillor, gave voice to the alarm of the community when this occurred, pointing out that the team led by Murdo “had over 100 years of experience which had now been lost”. It should be noted, too, that this was not the only dispute that affected the Marine and Coastguard Agency at this time – there were similar incidents in both Wick and Stornoway.

Such loyalty was not the only sign of Murdo’s standing. A few years ago, he received a certificate from Diabetes UK for being one of the longest survivors of diabetes in the country, having been diagnosed initially in 1958.

Over the last decade or so, Murdo’s symptoms worsened, afflicting both his sight and body, especially his kidneys. He was not helped in this situation by the recent passing of his partner, Roseanne, his grief and sorrow affecting both his mood and zest for life.

Murdo passed away in hospital in Glasgow, while on a short visit there. His presence will be missed by his family, especially his three sons, Iain, Graham and Derek, as well as many others who were touched and moved by his life.

Obituaries

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