Just how hard is it to be recognised in Sutherland?

MANY years ago, my brother and I posted a number of stamped and addressed envelopes to "Sir Reginald Stone, Tain".

It was a good wheeze during the run-up to the announcement of the Queen’s Birthday Honours – particularly in Tain Post Office – "Here, Reggie’s been knighted!" – and our father enjoyed the joke. "Ruddy nonsense" he chuckled as he thumbed through the morning post.

OBE, "Other Blighter’s Efforts" (or something like that); KCMG, "Kindly Call Me God" (actually Knight Commander of St Michael and St George); GCMG, "God Calls Me God" (Grand Cross of St Michael etc) – for many years there has been a certain amount of irreverent humour directed at our good old British honours system.

But this is not to say that it is a bad thing. Not a bit of it.

Where else in the world do people give of their best to society and their country simply for the reward of a funny name or bit of shiny metal on the end of a ribbon?

In the United States, large amounts of money is often the return; in the former Soviet Union it was a ZiL luxury limousine and a secluded dacha, well away from the hoi-polloi, that was the reward for eminence.

But here? Why, the thing on the end of the ribbon is hardly ever made of anything that would be worth melting down. No, your MBE doesn’t equal anything other than the fact that it is truly an honour. In the world scheme of things it’s a not-so-bad system.But – and here it’s a big but – as anyone who has tried to get a deserving individual bestowed with an honour knows only too well, it is darned hard to achieve.

How many letters do MPs, MSPs, Lord Lieutenants and civic leaders write saying that this or that person has been working tirelessly for the betterment of fellow citizens and should be honoured accordingly? It must be thousands. And the success rate? In a Highland county like Ross-shire or Sutherland it is disheartening. A couple of people a year if you are lucky: sometimes none at all.

What makes this worse is that in some professions the honour goes automatically with the pay grade.

Hit the rank of lieutenant general in the British Army, or permanent secretary in the Civil Service, and the "K" is yours. "Arise Sir Humphrey."

In a well-intentioned attempt to tackle the problem of deserving people missing out, the Highland Council used to hand out "civic awards" to deserving individuals. It entailed a special certificate, a good meal at the council’s expense, and it was an annual event that was judged to be a success. At its height lots of people wrote in suggesting suitable recipients, and it did help fill the official appreciation gap.

But then came the times of austerity and the civic awards were financially chopped. There just wasn’t the money available. It was a real shame – and I for one hope that one day the Highland Council might be in a position to revive the scheme.

In the meantime, here in the Tain neck of the woods it’s hats off to Councillor Alasdair Rhind. Along with his colleague Fiona Robertson he is this summer organising a Queen’s Diamond Jubilee award for local people who have done their bit for Tain and the surrounding area.

The Lord Lieutenant of Ross and Cromarty, Janet Bowen, has kindly agreed to hand over the awards in June, and anyone with a suggestion as to who should receive this award should write to Alasdair or Fiona at the Highland Council, 24 High Street, Tain IV19 1AE.

I hope that other communities in the Far North consider doing something similar to mark the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and I am sure that Alasdair and his team will be only too happy to give advice.

After all, 60 years of the Queen’s reign is pretty good going and we should make the most of the celebrations.

I started with a letter – and I end with one.

Some years ago it came in my post. It had US stamps and written on the envelope was "To The Representative of The Lord Jesus Christ, Tain, England".

Someone with a sense of humour in Tain Post Office had taken a red crayon and scrawled on the envelope "Try Jamie Stone". It made me shout with laughter; and I am still sad that it was lost during some flitting or other.