Tributes to doctor and 'man of the community'

A NUMBER of tributes have been made to the late Dr Harry Morgan, who passed away at Cathay Care Home aged 92.

The Burgess of Forres, who was a partner at Dr Adam's practice on St Catherines Road, was known for his voluntary work in the community, as well as his love of languages and traditional Scottish music.

Friend for more than 80 years, Murray Kirkwood, first met Harry at Glenalmond College, Perthshire in September 1939.

He said: "He excelled at sport, especially athletics. On leaving school, Harry did a course at Oxford under the aegis of the Royal Armoured Corps, thereafter serving as a lieutenant in the 8th Royal Tanks until entering medical school at Glasgow University.

"During our time there, we saw a lot of each other, especially on camping trips to the far north-west fishing. This latter activity gave him a lifelong love of the Highlands."

After qualifying, Harry worked at hospitals in the Glasgow area, then in general practice in Helmsdale and Stirling before moving to Forres where he was to remain for the rest of his life.

"Harry was a good, kind caring individual who was modest to a fault.

"He will be so much missed," said Mr Kirkwood.

Billy Laing knew Dr Morgan for over 50 years. His earliest memory of him was in his early years in Forres when he made his house calls in a convertible car with the roof down, no matter what the season.

Mr Laing said: "Harry had the ability to get people involved in projects and supported many organisations in the town. He founded the Forres Community Activates Association with the late Norman Redman in 1978, ran Scottish Weeks and started the Youth Concert in 1971."

Ranald Macarthur also knew Dr Morgan for around half a century, initially as a child and family friend.

"Harry always seemed to have boundless enthusiasm for a wide variety of interests, and a cheerful outlook on life," he said.

Ken Sutherland first met the doctor in Forres in 1970 as president of the Forres branch of An Comunn Gaidhealach.

"We shared a common interest in the Gaelic language," he said.

"The Forres community will be the poorer for his passing, as indeed will the Gaelic culture."

Richard Ross taught Dr Morgan German in 1982 at an evening class.

He said: "He was a gifted linguist, having a very good knowledge of several European languages plus Nepali. He was a friendly, sociable man, a loyal friend, painstaking and thorough in everything he did.

"He will be sadly missed. It seems like the end of an era."

Janice White knew of Dr Morgan for most of her life before his passing. Particularly fond memories include when he and her late husband, bachelors at the time, travelled Thailand, Turkey and Nepal together.

Mrs White said: "I travelled with them to Nepal in November 1975 on my belated honeymoon.

"He was involved in Scottish country dancing and specialised in cultivation of alpines in his garden."

John Mackenzie pointed out that Dr Morgan instigated the Burgess ceremony in Forres.

He said: "Harry loved the language of the old annals and used it in the course of the ceremony. He attended the Forres Varis Club for years and retired only because of ill health.

"When we were forming Forres Heritage Trust, Harry was among the very first to come to our house with a very handsome cheque, with instructions that he wanted no publicity – he was most generous to many Forres organisations."

Finally, David Macfarquhar described the man he felt was "one of Forres's most distinguished residents" whom he got to know increasingly well after he retired.

He said: "During the last 20 years, each month from October to March, he held language evenings in French, German, Italian, Spanish and Gaelic and different groups of people turned up with great regularity at his house to improve their linguistic skills.

"Even after his hip-replacements he would walk into town, with a stick, on treacherously icy surfaces to get his messages; and even in his 90s – although by this time immobile – he was still able to hold his own in a foreign language session and provide the word that everybody else had forgotten."