Alex McDonald

A past secretary of the Galloway Cattle Society, Alex McDonald, passed away in mid-December.

Alex came to Castle Douglas in 1990 when he took on the position of secretary and it became his home for 27 years – the longest he had every stayed in one place.

Originally from Fochabers, in Morayshire, he was the eldest of five brothers, attending Milnes High School and then received his Foresters Certificate from The Royal Scottish Forestry Society. He then embarked on a long and successful career in the Royal Air Force where he rose to the rank of warrant officer, which included all aspects of personnel management from recruitment to welfare matters.

He flew all over the world to places which included Cyprus, Australia, Gan, Singapore, Kenya, Malta and throughout the UK for periods of up to 2½ years at a time.

When he first came to Castle Douglas, Mrs Jennings offered him the annexe to stay in at Nether Cleugh, Dalry, and that is where he stayed until his last stay in hospital. He enjoyed his time with the society and wrote: “I feel extremely privileged that during my period as secretary I was able to visit so many herds, from Devon in the South to the North of Scotland, and I would like to take the opportunity to thank everyone for their hospitality and their friendship.”

During Alex’s time as secretary, he witnessed BSE, foot-and-mouth disease and government meddling with a buoyant trade and great demand for Galloways from Germany.