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Inverness Girls' Brigade leader collects honour


By Val Sweeney

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Susan MacKenzie.
Susan MacKenzie.

THE leader of an Inverness youth organisation has kept a royal appointment to collect a top honour.

Susan MacKenzie, a lifelong member of the Girls’ Brigade, was awarded an OBE in the New Year Honours for her services to young people.

She has now been presented with the award by the Queen during a ceremony at Holyrood Palace in Edinburgh and afterwards chatted with the royal about the organisation.

“We all really enjoyed the occasion and I was delighted to chat with Her Majesty regarding my work with Girls’ Brigade and what the organisation can offer the girls of today – it was an easy chat because she seemed to know a lot about Girls’ Brigade,” said the retired Charleston Academy PE and guidance teacher.

Before the ceremony, all the recipients were taken into the Privy Chamber to be briefed.

“During the waiting time I had the pleasure of chatting to the inspirational former Scottish international rugby star Doddie Weir, now suffering from motor neurone disease and a leading campaigner in raising money for research into a cure for the disease,” said Miss Mackenzie, of Delnies Road.

“The investiture took place in the Great Gallery of the Palace where the Queen presented the awards and chatted to the recipients about the work they had done to receive it.

“It was a very grand occasion with the Company of Royal Archers, the Holyrood High Constables and numerous high ranking military personnel and equerries adding to the spectacle.”

Miss Mackenzie first joined the 2nd Inverness Girls’ Brigade as a four-year-old almost 60 years ago.

She was commissioned as an officer in 1977 and over the years has served in many roles and was elected national president of Girls’ Brigade Scotland from 1999 to 2005.


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