A pair of Courier Country volunteers have been praised for racking up more than a century of service to St Andrew’s First Aid.
Princess Anne presented George McLean MBE, from Forfar, and Stuart McEwan, from Leven, with certificates in recognition of their contribution to first aid.
Octogenarian George, who started his first aid career at the age of 17 working with British Railway in Montrose, has amassed 63 years’ service, while Stuart has 39 years under his belt.
George enjoyed his time with the Montrose First Aid Company so much he kept up his training during his 33-year career in the police force, which involved 10 years in mountain rescue.
He said: “First aid has been a passion of mine for almost all my life and if I can pass on that passion to others, I will be very happy.
“I have always enjoyed helping people and teaching them and hope that over the years, somewhere along the line, I might have given someone the skills to help save a person’s life.
“I have lost count of the number of incidents I’ve attended where it was clear that people did not know how to respond in an emergency.
“In many cases you only need basic first aid in order to save a life.”
George was awarded the Voluntary Services Medal his frontline work in 1989 and was awarded an MBE for services to the community, including first aid, in 1992.
Stuart was first introduced to first aid as a Scout when he was 12 years old and latterly joined St Andrew’s First Aid as a cadet.
His dedication to learning and providing lifesaving skills has seen him volunteer at many large-scale events and he is now a team leader in the North East and Fife Company alongside his wife Andrea, who has volunteered with the charity herself for more than two decades.
He said: “First Aid has always been a big part of my life and it was a true honour to be recognised for my service with St Andrew’s First Aid is a skill that everyone should endeavour to have in order to keep each other safe.”
Stuart Callison, chief executive at St Andrew’s First Aid, thanked both men for their “outstanding” commitment and dedication.
Princess Anne, as charity patron, recognised 33 St Andrew’s First Aid volunteers with a combined service of more than 1,400 years at the event in Glasgow.
