George MacDonald: The island was saddened by the passing of George last year. Born on the island, he worked in Mull as a shepherd and then returned after a spell in Ardnamurchan, to Gallanach. He was one of the last true shepherds in Coll and will long be remembered as a quiet, kind man with a wonderful sense of humour. After retirement, George lived in the Dairy until recently moving with his wife Chrissie, to Tongue in Sutherland, to be near his family. His company will be sorely missed.

George Binnie: With the sudden death of George Binnie in his new Kirkcare house, Coll has lost a friend and character. George first came to the island in 1984 as a lambing shepherd and returned the following year. An Ayrshire man, he was fiercely proud of his heritage and one of the last old-fashioned. shepherds with a great knowledge of Blackface sheep and a kindly handler of sheepdogs. He was truly one of 'Nature's Gentlemen'.

Agnes MacKenzie: Agnes MacKenzie died early January 1993. She came to Coll in 1944 as District Nurse and married Donald MacLean, farmer at Totronald. Latterly, they lived in Shotts near Glasgow. Agnes had a way with words and her poem Recollections was published in the 1989 edition of the Coll Magazine. The first two stanzas are here reprinted in her memory:

When I recall. . .
O'er sunlit seas the lazy winds are herding
Through azure skies, the small, stray, shining clouds to Coll.
The happy days are long, and know no ending
But merge with starlit nights and ceilidhed song ...
When I recall.

Florence Russell: Florence Russell died on 10th. January, 1993, aged 76. The news came as a great shock. Biddy, as she was known to islanders for 30 odd years, had been recovering from a successful hip operation and many of us received cheery Christmas cards saying how much she looked forward to coming to Coll with her new 'walking' legs. Tragically, a blood clot was the cause of death.

Biddy was one of the trio of founder members (together with Pat Barr & Mairi Hedderwick) of the Coll Magazine in 1983 being editorial assistant and a forceful advertising manager who gained many of the advertisements still displayed on our pages. Latterly, her love for the island focussed on the school where she will be greatly missed.

In the 'outside' world Biddy, based in Dunoon and more recently Fort Mathilda, was well known as a Home Rule activist and member of the Scottish National Party writing regularly to the press in support of the Scottish cause. She was Secretary of the World Federation of Scottish Societies, Editor of the St. Andrew Society Newsletter, and a member of the Scottish Plebiscite Society and of the Saltire Society.

Her life-long love of writing found outlets in The Scots Magazine and other periodicals, not least our own. In the first issue of this magazine, her piece The Coll Question is a classic vignette of the island. Her touching words end this obituary: '... one feels the tautness of the thread of love for Coll that binds us all together, even those of us who may be 'only visitors'. Air latha Samhraidh bhiodh ar saobhal cruinn.* Without Coll our world would fall apart.'
*On a summer day our world was whole.

A benevolent fund has been set up by friends to provide funds for a presentation to P7s, Arinagour School before their mainland schooling.

Donations to: Mr. Seager. 28, Battery Park Drive, Fort Mathilda. PA16 7UA

Donald MacFarlane: Donald died on 15th. September 1992 in the Southern General Hospital in Glasgow. His health had been deteriorating over a period of years.

He was the eldest son of Captain and Mrs. Donald MacFarlane, both of Sorrisdale. He was born on 9th. April 1925 at Coll Cottage in Tobermory, the home of his aunt and uncle.

Born deaf, Donald spent his early years in Glasgow where he attended Ibrox Special School. Emphasis was on lip-reading rather than sign language and he was at the time one of the brightest in his class. The war interrupted his special education as the family came back to Coll where he finished his schooling at Bousd School.

During and after the war in Coll he had various jobs - at the Nevada - the rebuilding of the Middle Pier - at Gallanach and the roads to the New Pier. For some years before retiring he worked at The Lodge, Arinagour.

To all who were close to him, Donald was indeed a lesson in living. Highly intelligent, he did not dwell on the frustrations or lost opportunities of his silent world. He enjoyed his visits to Glasgow, Edinburgh and Canada and on many occasions in his living room, the walls shook with the laughter of family members as, on request, he would brilliantly mime some of the old Coll worthies and their involvement in various incidents.

Approximately one year before his death, it became obvious that he would not be able to enjoy his refurbished home in Arinagour. Fortunately, he was accepted at Tigh a' Rudha, Tiree. The level of care and attention he received from the staff, the friendships of his fellow residents and the fondness shown to him by all whom he met in Tiree was evident in his attitude which indicated clearly that he felt as if he were living at home.

With many relatives and friends attending he was laid to rest in Coll on 19th. September, 1992.