Photograph of prefects, Dornoch Academy, class of 1955-56

Date Added: 24 April 2008 Year Range: 1955 - 1956 Institution Name: dnhhl Cat No: ◀ | 2000_083 | ▶ Picture No: 1019

photograph of prefects, Dornoch Academy, class of 1955-56; from L to R, top row, Peter Murray, John MacPherson, Billy Macleod, Billy Mackay, John Ross, William Calder; front row, Margaret Mackay, Betty MacAulay, Alison Edgar, Kathleen King, Marie Chisholm, Margaret Macleod. Photograph mounted on thin paper with red corner mounts.

Dimensions: Length135 mm - Width 85 mm

6 Comments

Top row left is Peter McKay, Australian-born, lived with grand-parents in Embo while attending school. Comment left on 31 October 2010 at 08:45 by John Ross

I guess I have to thank John Ross (now which John Ross is this!). I looked at this photo many times and I was certain that I knew the boy at the top row left but the name Peter Murray did not ring a bell at all. The boy is indeed Peter J Mackay (Known in Embo as Peter aigh Bonner)born Hounslow, Middlesex on 2/4/1939. He and his brother William K Mackay (Known in Embo as Billy aigh Bonner) born Hounslow, Middlesex 14/6/1942 often spent long periods staying with their grandfather John Mackay (Bonner) at 3 Terrace Street, Embo. Their father was Kenneth Mackay who was born in Embo on the 14/2/1910 and their mother was a Eva Maud Mackay (Nee Chick) born Wilts, England 20/09/1919. I have seen from the Australian Government web site that the family did apply on the 14/4/1948 to emigrate to Australia while they were still living in Hounslow. It is quite possible that they did emigrate there but came back later. They certainly were frequent visitors to Embo from England in the 1950s and they had an unusual accent which we children thought was just posh, but it may have been Australian! I have not met either of these two boys since my childhood in Embo but I did hear that Billy aigh Bonner worked for the United Nations in Asia for many years and that he married there. Sadly I also heard that he died while quite young. I see you have a photo of Billy aigh Bonner on the Embo station platform in about 1959. The photo was supplied by Jenny Watt another of my many Embo relatives. Her mother Georgina (Georgjag) was my mother's first cousin on her Fraser family side. Comment left on 11 November 2010 at 14:04 by Kenneth Mackay

Thanks for the information about Peter's background. I had assumed that, with his accent, he'd been born in Australia. I heard, sadly, that Peter died quite a few years ago but I don't have any details. I'm the John Ross in the photo. Comment left on 20 January 2011 at 11:42 by John Ross

I am Peter A Murray and, as Kenneth pointed out, not the person in the picture. I left school in 1952 . Comment left on 02 March 2012 at 17:00 by Peter a murray on 2nd march 2012

In my 2010 comment I think that I made a mistake by mixing up William's work career with that of his older brother Peter John Mackay. While housebound because of the current Covid-19 virus I have clearing out some old family papers. Among them I found an undated Northern Times clipping telling of Peter's death in Bhutan while working there as a project manager for the Food and Agriculture Organisation. No date is given for his untimely and very sad death but from the content of the report it was sometime in 1985. The report also tells that Peter was indeed educated at Dornoch Academy and then at Edinburgh University and later at Reading and Slough Technical College and Strathclyde University. The report also tells that Peter spent his working life as a physicist researching, advising and teaching the measurement of physical factors of food storage, especially in developing countries. The report gives interesting details of Peter's family and work lives. Perhaps if the museum could obtain a copy of this report I refer from the NT it would make interesting reading for your museum visitors. From what I could see it was printed under the "Embo" section of the newspaper.
Comment left on 09 April 2020 at 18:59 by Kenneth Mackay Many thanks for your comment. I wondered if you had a facility to scan the article and send it to historylinkscurator@btconnect.com? If that is not possible I may be able to get a copy from the Northern Times archive. - Administrator. Administrator

I am William Mackay brother of Peter Mackay in the photo above. I came across the photo by pure chance and can add a little to the story. My brother and Billy (Beala) Mackay 4th from left were close friends
As a family we emigrated to Australia in 1948 and returned in 1951. Peter attended Dornoch Academy and I attended Embo school before moving to Inverness and later to the South of England. I do remember we were teased over our accents. As stated Peter stayed in Embo to complete his secondary education before attending Edinburgh University.

Our father's name was Kenneth and Peter's eldest son is also Kenneth. I am intrigued to know the Kenneth Mackay who wrote the above comment. The only other Kenneth Mackay that I can Remember would have lived at No 1 Terrace Street.
I do remember Jenny Watt and would have been at Embo station around 1959.
If I can provide any other information I would be pleased to.

Comment left on 01 June 2020 at 12:24 by william kenneth mackay

Form Goes Here