MBE for Ulbster mountaineer with terminal prostate cancer who turned tragedy into a life of rescue service
A veteran mountain rescuer from Ulbster has described the honour of receiving an MBE as “a privilege” hailing the nomination from his fellow team members as meaning more than any public recognition.
A long-serving member of Assynt Mountain Rescue Team and a trained SARDA dog handler, Charlie Macleod was named in this year’s King’s Birthday Honours list for his contribution to mountain safety across the Highlands.
Now living with terminal prostate cancer, the 67-year-old says the award comes at a time when being part of the team means more than ever.
“It absolutely helps,” he said. “A person has to have a point. There has to be a purpose behind things. For me now, mountain rescue gives that – and I still think I’ve got something to offer.
“It was effectively my team leader and my teammates who actually deemed me to be remotely worthy of the MBE. That’s the best thing of all.
“They know what’s involved and they’re the ones on the receiving end.”
Charlie’s journey into mountain rescue was shaped by a tragedy that still stays with him.
“Three of us were just below the summit of the Matterhorn,” he said. “Then there was an accident. It was my best mate, a bit of gear came out, and he ended up falling down the whole height of the face.
“We were stranded on top and we had to get helicoptered off,” he said. “I’m not going to lie. It hit me pretty hard at the time. But to not continue is just to deny who I was, really.”
The loss of his best friend and his subsequent rescue gave him a deep understanding of what it means to need help in the mountains.
“There was a certain amount of repaying that debt,” Charlie explains, “and fundamentally, just wanting to help folk, using the experience I have.”
Charlie explains that his love for the outdoors started as a youngster in the 1970s.
“I started very young as a kid,” he said. “And I've done a lot of hill running from the West Highland Way five or six times.
“My wife and I cycle across the States, across America. It's about a year cycling, and we kayak the Inside Passage from Vancouver up to Alaska and lots of other stuff as well.”
Charlie’s job as a physiotherapist, working with cardiac patients but also with people recovering from spinal trauma and head injuries, gave him a foundation for rescue work – but it was the camaraderie and purpose that made him stay.
As training officer with Assynt MRT, he has spent years helping others prepare for the physical and emotional demands of search and rescue. “It’s a tough ask for folk to keep those skills sharp,” he said.
“I can't stress enough, at Mountain Rescue, how hard we train. It means that we do take a pride in being professional.
“The amount of effort that folk put in, not just me, but everybody in mountain rescue. They’re so motivated, and they give their time for nothing.”
He said it’s often underestimated how much is asked of volunteers, particularly mentally.
“Until you actually do it, you don’t really know how folk are going to react,” he said. “For me now, I’ve been involved in enough rescues where folk haven’t been found to know what a terrible thing that is for families.
“Even returning somebody who is deceased is a very big deal – it definitely does give closure.”
Charlie has also helped to improve how teams look after one another.
“Before, you just went to the pub and had a pint. But there’s so much more now. We have proper support, debriefs, and a welfare officer who checks in after callouts. It’s night and day from what it used to be.”
Despite the challenges of illness, Charlie remains involved in training and continues his work with SARDA dogs.
“My symptoms are progressing fairly rapidly at the moment,” he said. “My pain levels are increasing all the time.
“But fundamentally, the other side of it is just being part of a really great bunch of motivated folk. Sense of humour is a huge driver for it all. It’s about sharing good times and bad.
“The team have been fantastic. Beyond fault, really. They bend over backwards to help out.
“I’ve been around a long time, so I have a lot of experience and stuff that is still valuable to share. They’ve accommodated me, especially as my symptoms have progressed.”
Charlie has lived in Ulbster for 16 years. Originally from Inverness, he said the welcome he and his wife received in Caithness was immediate.
He added that being able to represent the north in the Honours list gave the moment even more significance.
“I don’t know how many Caithnessians are ever honoured in the King’s Honours List – but I suspect it’s not that many. So, that’s always a nice thing.”