DONNIE'S PAGE

This page, first printed in the Spring 1997 MacBrayne Circle Journal, appears here at the suggestion of Alasdair Aitken, who thought it might interest Ileach readers. Words are by John Kemplen.

Look closely at almost any photograph of a MacBrayne bus on Islay during the 1950s or 1960s and you'll probably spot Donnie Carmichael, for many years the driver of the Port Askaig Mail bus. He's in all the pictures on this page, including (top) this picture showing a Commer Commando on Port Ellen pier taken from the 1961 MacBraynes brochure and (above) this picture with the ex-Skye Transport Albion at the same location, courtesy of Margaret Doyle.

The picture below shows Donnie with his wife Jessie and one of their nieces in front of Bedford C5 mailcoach YYS174 at Keills in the early 1960s.

Photo by Fred Edgecombe

A year or two later, Donnie is pictured (below) mowing the lawn outside his house in Keills, with YYS174 in the background.

Photo by John Kemplen

Waving goodbye from the back of Bedford VAS mailbus HGA983D (above) on Port Askaig pier in the mid-60s.

Photo by John Kemplen