Doctor. An appreciation
Born: March 23, 1936;
Died: December 26, 2016
DR Sheila MacLeod, who has died aged 80, will be remembered by the Arran community and beyond as a GP with extraordinary diagnostic skills and for her tireless and enthusiastic work as secretary of the Arran Hospital Supporters' League. But she was also a hotel landlady, a caring wife, loving mother and proud gran and great grandmother.
She was born Sheila Margaret Baillie Macleod in Cambuslang in 1936, the only child of David and Catherine Donald. David was a solicitor and Catherine was herself a doctor. Her parents and education at George Watson's Ladies' College in Edinburgh were major formative influences on Sheila's character and positive attitude to public service.
She qualified in medicine in 1960 from Edinburgh University Medical School and later held posts as house surgeon at Galashiels and house physician at the Eastern General Hospital in Edinburgh. She also spent time in the neonatal paediatrics department at Simpson Maternity Pavilion and the obstetrics and gynaecology department in Edinburgh, before going on the become consultant anaesthetist at Falkirk Royal Infirmary. When she came to Arran she brought with her a wealth
of medical, clinical and surgical experience.
Her Arran connection dated to before the war when she had holidayed with her parents at Dunedin House, Machrie and the Breadalbane Hotel in Kildonan. The family albums show these as traditional boarding house holidays with golf, tennis, visits to Pladda, motor-outings and visitors putting on their own evening entertainments such s fancy dress parties.
While at Falkirk, Sheila had met and married Hugh, becoming a much loved step mother to Sandie. David was born in 1972 and Malcolm in 1974. Sheila was an excellent mother to the boys and to Niall, Sandie's own son. When Hugh was made redundant in 1979, the family moved to Arran, first to High Trees in Lamlash and then to the Argentine Hotel in Whiting Bay. Guests became life-long friends and enjoyed Sheila's cooking.
During this time Sheila was working as full-time mother, full-time landlady, part time GP and part-time anaesthetist at the Arran War Memorial Hospital. The family moved to Elleray, at Knockenkelly in 1986 to allow Sheila to focus on full-time hospital duties. It was just about this time that she gave guidance to Sandie MacLeod, Margaret McNab and Sandra Hall on setting up the Hospital Supporters' League. In her role as clinical director, Sheila MacLeod maintained acute services on Arran until her retirement as consultant anaesthetist in 2000.
In retirement, Sheila spent a good deal of her time caring for others: at first her
step-daughter Sandie, whom she was to lose to cancer, and then her husband Hugh after his stroke. Yet she also continued with her Hospital Supporters work.
Sheila did not suffer fools gladly. She once shocked a meeting of administrators who wanted to make hospital savings by cutting the number of cleaning staff. Sheila explained to them (if "explained" is the word) how very important hospital cleaning staff are.
Her mind also remained as sharp as a needle. Since her schooldays she had been taking part every two or three years in a study on mental health involving the same age group. Becoming a bit more tired, she had to be persuaded the last time that she ought to undertake the journey to Edinburgh so as to contribute to the data-base. She came back a bit disappointed. "Och, I just got the same score as I did the first time when I was at school," she said. The "same score" was 48/50, completed in just over half the time available for the test.
Sheila is survived by the three boys, their wives, Suzie, Iona and Kerry, her grandchildren Abigail, Daniel, Ruby, Matthew, Rory and her great granddaughter Freya.
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