Lollipop man comes full circle as he returns to first school

77-year-old aims to be at crossing for another three years

Published:

RETURN TO ROOTS: Bill MacKenzie at the same road he used to cross in the 1930s. David Whittaker-Smith

Bill MacKenzie as a boy

A HIGHLAND lollipop man has come full circle – and ended up back at the school he went to as a boy.

In 1936, five-year-old Bill MacKenzie, of Madras Street, Inverness, set off for the first time to Merkinch Public School in his home town.

Seven decades later, he walks to the same school each day, shepherding a new generation of pupils across the road to Merkinch Primary.

In the 1930s, horses and carts were more common than cars and a lollipop man was not required.

Mr MacKenzie said: “I never thought I would end up as lollipop man at Merkinch School. We moved away from the area when I was 12, but over all the years I’ve kept my roots here. I’m a Merkincher through and through, and some of the children I help cross the road are the grandchildren of my old school friends.”

Mr MacKenzie and his wife, Connie, now live in Lochalsh Road, a short walk from the lollipop crossing at the junction with Dunabban Road.

Despite approaching his 77th birthday, Mr MacKenzie has no intention of hanging up his stick for three years.

Although officially retired in 1996, he has not stopped working since the age of 12.