John married Cathie Barbara Mackay [11165], daughter of Thomas Mackay (Embo) [11166] and Williamina Mackay (Island Roan) [11167], on 19 Feb 1960 in Free Church, Dornoch, Sutherland, Scotland.1 (Cathie Barbara Mackay [11165] was born on 23 Jul 1936 in Embo, Sutherland, Scotland, died on 18 Nov 2010 in Raigmore Hospital, Inverness, Inverness, Scotland 1 and was buried in Dornoch, SUT 1.)
Sources
1
Northern Times 2010-12-02 obit. Cathie Barbara. CATHIE Barbara Mackay died peacefully in Raigmore Hospital, Inverness, on Thursday, 18 November, after taking ill suddenly at her home, Whin Cottage, Tongue, on the evening of Sunday, 14 November. Cathie Barbara was born on the 23 July, 1936, at 29 Gate Street, Embo. Her mother, Williamina, was the daughter of Donald and Barbara Mackay, Island Roan, and had left her island home to undertake domestic service in a hotel in Dornoch, where she met Thomas McKay, a fisherman from Embo. They married and set up home in Embo. Thomas was serving in the Royal Naval Reserve aboard the HMS Vanquisher and was tragically killed, in his 30th year, when the vessel was in collision with HMS Walker, whilst on convoy duty off Cape Clear, Ireland, on 10 September, 1939. Cathie's childhood was spent in Embo with her mother and paternal grandparents, Thomas and Catherine McKay, with frequent holidays on the croft in Tubeg, Skerray, with her mother's only brother, Donald (Babus). With the absence of her father, she had a very strong bond with her mother and Embo grandparents. It was her grandfather who fostered in her a political and social interest, by taking her to political meetings in the local village hall. In those days such events were the main local social event. She was educated locally and her first teacher, Katie Morrison from Balchrick, Kinlochbervie, cultivated her interest in dancing and concerts. In Dornoch Academy she studied Gaelic for two years and her English teacher, Flossie Strachan, awakened in her a great love of story and verse. It was at this time she was imbued with a love of the beauty of the county and a desire to serve the community. On leaving the Academy her primary desire was to train as a doctor, but due to costs and the long training period she opted for nursing and left for the nurses' training college in Elgin. It was a tough discipline involving theory and practice for two years before heading for the hospital wards. She saw further training in London, before returning to her beloved Sutherland, where for some time she worked at the Lawson Memorial Hospital, Golspie, before becoming a district nurse throughout Melness and Tongue. She found this period of work especially rewarding, as she had a special affinity for the older people. She sought to offer the highest level of comfort and dignity to all who came under her care. She adopted the old fashioned, no nonsense, ward sister approach, latterly serving as manager of Seaview Care Home in Wick. Cathie Barbara married John Mackay (Cordach) on 19 February, 1960 in Dornoch Free Church and set up home in Tongue, where John was a central figure in the firm of Messrs Peter Burr. Snow has played a major part in the Mackay's lives - and the groom and cake nearly did not make it on time but for the efforts of best man, Charlie Burr. In similar snowy circumstances her sons, Graeme and Iain arrived in 1963 and 1971 respectively! At the behest of Dolly Burr, Tongue Post Office, in 1967 Cathie Barbara stood for local councillor and saw off three men for the seat. The period 1967 to 1975 was a very satisfying period and she achieved much as a councillor. She played a central role in getting the Tongue Causeway built, saving a ten mile detour round Kinloch. It is now affectionately known as "Cathie's Bridge". She also helped to establish the principle of local care, which eventually led to the building of the care unit, Caladh Sona, in Melness. Island Roan remained close to her heart and she was the prime enabler of the many reunions which natives to the island held in Melness or Skerray. She had an authoritative, but humorous touch when speaking at the many birthday socials, important anniversaries and retirement functions. She always made praise of the role the young played in the preservation of Gaelic and in keeping local traditions alive within the community. Everybody spoke movingly and warmly of her witty and masterful contribution to her last public event on the occasion of the retirement party of local milkman, Alistair Maclean. Johnnie Cordach, sons Graeme and Iain, with their wives, both named Fiona, and grandchildren, Eilidh, Andrew and Caitlin, were supported in a joyous service of thanksgiving at St Andrew's Church, Tongue, by a large turnout despite a very wintry day in the Tongue church on Wednesday, 24 November led by Rev Tony Thornwaite, Bettyhill. The traditional 23rd and 121st psalms were sung whilst Andrew gave the scriptural reading from Proverbs 31. Eilidh gave a beautiful testament to the fruits of the spirit, which her grandmother had in abundance. Cathie Barbara was a truly impressive, caring individual, who gave steadfast faithful and loving service to Johnnie, her family and the wider community in all their times of need. Her spirit reached out to every soul in the community and although she departed this life suddenly and unexpectedly, there are an abundance of many happy shared memories which will live on. Following the service in Tongue, the cortege travelled to the East Cemetery in Dornoch, where, following a graveside service - preceded by a fall of snow - the remains of Cathie Barbara were laid to rest next to her father. The many who had braved the elements were then invited to the Dornoch Castle Hotel, for soup and sandwiches. "Is sealbhach sinne aig an robh deagh eolas air cuid de shar bhuill na linne ud. Teagamh gum faic sinn an leithid gu brath tuilleadh mar latha fhin." (We who knew well some of the outstanding members of that generation are indeed fortunate. For we shall not see their like again.) IHF
2
Northern Times 2011-01-06 obit. Johnny Cordach. John Mackay (Cordach), Tongue Published: 06 January, 2011
JOHN MACKAY
JOHN Mackay passed away peacefully in Seaview care home, Wick, in December. His death occurred 20 days following that of his wife, Cathie Barbara. John Robert Mackay was born on 3rd August, 1933, in Lochinver to Robert (Bobby) Mackay (Cordach) and Annie. John was the only boy and the second youngest in a family of five. Robert and Annie ran a general merchant's shop in Main Street, Lochinver, as Robert's father, John, had done in Coldbackie. Following the death of Robert in January 1941, Annie took her son and four girls to Aberdeen. John went to school there but spent all his holidays with his mother's brother's family in Dunvarrich, Tongue. The day he left school he came to Tongue and stayed with the family in Dunvarrich and worked in the family's rapidly expanding business and shop until national service intervened. National service was not a happy experience for John, for neither he nor the services were suited to his unique character and disposition. Thereafter he returned to Dunvarrich and remained in residence with the family until he married Cathie Barbara McKay in 1960. It was in the late '60s that Johnnie's mother came from Aberdeen and stayed at Eastwood, Tongue, until her death in 1981, in her 89th year. At this stage there is a resonance between Johnnie's circumstances and the events leading to the family in Coldbackie being referred to as Cordach (Cairdeach-family related). Quite some time ago a vessel was shipwrecked in the seas off Coldbackie - the only survivor being a young lad. The Mackays of Coldbackie took this young lad in and raised him as one of their own. John found his home and niche within the family and firm run by Gordon and Tot Burr. In the early '50s close on 40 people were employed in Burr's and deliveries and services extended as far as Durness in the west and Thurso in the east. Up until the building of the Tongue Causeway in 1971, the west could only be reached by a 15-mile detour via Ribigill and Kinloch. Hope, Eriboll, Laid and east Durness were served by Burr's with provisions for people and animals, whilst the large population of Melness, extending from the Ferry to West Strathan, was served by two vans at the beginning of the week, a Burr's shop at Talmine, and a supporting parcel delivery van. It was undertaking this parcel and bread delivery service that earned John his name - "Johnnie the Bread". John married Cathie Barbara McKay, the district nurse for Tongue and Melness, in February 1960 in Dornoch Free Church. Snow played an important part in John's life. But for the efforts of his best man and cousin, Charlie Burr, snow would have disrupted the timing of the proceedings. It was exactly 22 years earlier, at the end of January 1941, that his father's cortege was stranded overnight in snow at Inchkinloch before being able to proceed to Tongue. This event has entered into Sutherland history as Mrs Mackay, Inchkinloch, instinctively prepared a massive baking, little realising her home would have to shelter the funeral party and the road squad who manually opened the road between Lairg and Altnaharra. Winters in Tongue and the North caused John to have to brave all weathers. His parcel and bread-van deliveries took him to Keoldale - he often found Eriboll, Hope and the Moine to be hostile places to be caught in snowdrifts. However, Dunvarrich headquarters were always aware when timetables ran late and there were always fellow employees able to respond and undertake search and rescue. He was with Geordie Mackenzie on the van one night in the mid-'50s when, returning from the west, they only just got across the Rhian bridge before it collapsed, preventing any travel via Kinloch until a temporary Bailey bridge could be built. John's duties at that time also embraced parcel and bread deliveries to the east as far as Armadale and driving the late Saturday "Picture" bus from Tongue to Thurso. Although he was known to get lost for a few days around New Year during his bread-van deliveries to Melness and Skerray, concern never overtook staff at Dunvarrich HQ because everybody knew that the people of Melness and Skerray held him in high esteem and would care for him until he was ready to find his way safely back to Tongue. It was during these times of celebration that "Wee Johnnie" became renowned for his rendition of "The Wee Cock Sparra", achieving mannerisms and facial expressions which upstaged those of Duncan Macrae. Sons Graeme and Iain arrived in 1963 and 1970 respectively, and the family moved from Loyal Terrace to Whin Cottage, which had been the home of Mina Mackay "Purnell" until her death in 1972. Mina had formerly been housekeeper to the family, when in Lochinver, and thereafter returning to Tongue she served for many years in Burr's shop. Around 1978, John left Burr's and following on from Seamus Mackay (Herd) took on the driving of the Melness/Tongue/Lairg postbus. During the 20 years that he was the regular driver he was to know how inhospitable the Lairg/Crask road could be during winter months. John delighted in family life, which included Labradors and collies. He took great delight in his three grandchildren, Eilidh and Andrew in Inverness and Caitlin in Inverbervie. Latterly ill health overtook him, but he was particularly blessed by the love, care and support given by Cathie Barbara right up to her own sudden death three weeks earlier. It was a poignant regathering of family and friends, following on so quickly after Cathie Barbara's funeral service in Tongue on 24th November, although with much less snow around. The service held in St Andrew's Church, Tongue, was a testament and tribute to John's life of service. This comforting service was led by the Rev Stewart Goudie, supported immediate family members Graeme, wife Fiona and children Eilidh and Andrew, and Iain and wife Fiona and Caitlin, together with surviving sisters Ella, Alison and Reay, whilst Eilidh and Andrew gave moving tributes to their grandfather. There was a large turnout of friends and colleagues from all the communities he so faithfully served over the last 60 years. Internment took place at Tongue Churchyard, whilst a collection was taken in favour of Alzheimer Scotland. Friends met up with family and relatives at Tongue Hotel for soup and sandwiches, on a day in which the snows melted and gave way to light rain and a welcome mildness. Iain Fraser
