People make communities, and one of these people over the years has been North Uist’s Archie MacCorquodale. He has spent the best part of 30 years on various committees and is now giving the call to our younger Uibhistich to get involved in what’s happening locally. 

‘I was maybe 17 or 18 when I joined my first committee in Lochmaddy.

Then, through the years I was serving numerous committees all over the island from football to the North Uist Games and then on to lots of things that the kids were involved in. Even before I got married and had children I was involved in numerous committees.‘

Archie, more locally known as Doods has at one point been involved with Lochmaddy Hall, youth clubs, the boys club, the athletics club, highland dancing and various other things. He was even chief officer of the pub darts and pool competitions at one point. For years, there seemed to barely be a week or a month of the year without a meeting somewhere for something, which he mentions can be time consuming, hard work and all voluntary.

‘When I was young there were certainly more people involved in the committees. There always seemed to be plenty of people and plenty of people able to help. We never seemed to have been stuck.

There were always stalwarts in every committee, because every committee needs its stalwarts, and there’s nothing better in a committee than experience. These people are invaluable when it comes down to the organisation of whatever they’re running.‘

‘Going back to my time on the North Uist Games committee we had people there who had been for about 30 or 40 years. I thought I was doing well at 25 years.

 

 

You know, these people and their experiences are invaluable. You need them. They have the knowledge but they might not be able to do the physical side of it anymore.’

Part of the joy of organising an event is seeing others have a nice time on the day. Doods mentions that it’s particularly good when people comment on a successful event and appreciate the work that goes on behind the scenes. With a successful event, happy people and a good community spirit, comes the satisfaction of being involved in an organisation, no matter what it might be. 

‘You know, it’s not just down to one person. You’re only part of an organisation. You’re only part of a committee. So you don’t take all the plaudits yourself because you’ve got a team working with you. At the end of it all, you’re trying to do the best for your own community.’

Sometimes, committee life isn’t always rosy and Archie mentions that:

‘I did enjoy the hustle and bustle of it, but sometimes I didn’t enjoy falling out with people, a thing which does happen at meetings. But, no, it was good. I enjoyed it, and I always wanted to do the best for the community I was in.

It doesn’t matter what walk of life you’re in, you’re always going to have somebody or some people that you can’t keep happy. But they’re very few, and very far between. 99% of the time, the positives outweigh the negatives. These are the first people that won’t come and join you or help you or try and do things better themselves, but they’re first to criticise. But that’s just the nature of humans, isn’t it?’

Latha na Geams is a big deal in the islands and the North Uist and South Uist games have always had a good relationship of working together and often share equipment, tents, toilets, competition judges and the calendar, with both events happening on the same week and supporting each other to keep costs down. Last minute, they’ve often been there for eachother, scooting up and down the road to fix a last minute problem, and Archie doesn’t see that changing any time soon.

‘We’re all trying to hold on to an annual, traditional event that’s been going for hundreds of years. From back to the days when they were racing horses and stuff like that. They’re great events.

It’s part of our culture. Particularly the piping and the Highland dancing and I hope that it’ll be going for the next hundred years as well. ’

As we said earlier, people make communities and these groups need more people. Younger people are asked to try and see how things work behind the scenes and learn from those who are running the show at the moment. Archie mentions that there are always plenty of people available on the day, but the year long commitment to make something happen is less enticing.

‘Well, the bottom line is that if people don’t get involved in the likes of these committees the these great events are not going to continue. We’ve seen groups in recent years struggling. The South Uist show has just come back this year after being absent for three or four years. The North Uist Agricultural Show is always looking for new committee members. And it’s the same with most committees. It’s the same with even the community councils and others as well. Getting people onto the committees is very difficult and it’s especially hard to get the youth to get involved. 

You know, you have to get the youngsters in so that they can learn how to do or not how to do it and learn how to be part of a successful group.‘

Although Doods has now hung up his committee hat, he is encouraging others to be a part of the community from where they are from.

‘I’m always on the other end of the phone. If anybody was ever to need any help.

 

 If you’re involved in your community and you want your community to be successful then you should be able to do something to help it.’

You do get people who are in that frame of mind that they just expect to turn up on the day and they expect everything to be absolutely perfect and then for the same to be happening every year on year. But they don’t. They don’t want to get involved themselves, which, I suppose, is up to them.‘

And Finally, from Archie:

‘If there’s anybody out there who wants to join a committee, I would say go for it. Just go and help out your community. Help out in any way at all. That’s the best thing that people can do if they’re reading this. Just go out and help your community, help your organisations and make it successful. That’s the most important thing.

Let’s keep all these events going into the next century.‘