Muir of Ord man receives special birthday gift in honour of his shinty days at Lovat
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A former Lovat player was given a special gift to honour his days in shinty as part of his 82nd birthday celebrations.
Donald Macaskill, who is a resident at Urray House Care Home in Muir of Ord, received the personalised caman in recognition of his decades of support for the team he once played for.
A well known figure in Kiltarlity, Donald began playing shinty in 1959 after leaving the RAF.
He played in the Lovat second team on forward line for his first season and thereafter played in goals, including a spell in the first team.
He played throughout the sixties and after hanging up his own boots, he became a ‘bootman’ for the club, cleaning and preparing the players’ boots for the match.
He continued to watch the club for many years as a supporter and still follows the team.
He said: "I never missed a match for years on end.
"I was a huge Lovat supporter and still love listening to matches on the radio.
"This caman means the world to me.”
The hand crafted caman was made and gifted by Alan MacPherson, also from Kiltarlity, who runs Inverness based Tanera Camans, Scotland’s leading shinty caman manufacturer.
Alan is himself a former Lovat player.
He said: “I was contacted by Darren Zblewski, one of the care workers at Urray House with the idea to make a stick for Donald's 82nd Birthday.
"I remember Donald fondly as a kid growing up in Kiltarlity. He was a very nice man and always encouraged us to play shinty.
"I was absolutely delighted to make the stick and personalise it for him.”
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