James ‘Dooker’ Macdonald, a former linesman who helped keep the lights on in the Highlands after storms has died aged 92.
Dooker would have been 93 in August and was born in the Caledonian Hotel in King Street in Invergordon in 1928.
He also played a role in restoring power to southern England after the hurricane of 1987.
Dooker was the second youngest of eight children. His siblings were Mari, Lily, Kenny, Poppy, Patty, Dinky and Cathy.
His father, Duncan Macdonald and mother Jessie Green, both worked in the Caledonian Hotel.
Mr Macdonald senior, who had been badly injured in the First World War died when Dooker was 11 years old, leaving his mother to bring up the the eight children alone.
Off to sea
After leaving Invergordon Academy, Dooker worked as a ship’s cook before going to work with Balfour Beatty.
He met his future wife, Joyce, in 1952 after she moved to Invergordon to be near her sister Mabel who worked at George’s hairdressers, 81 High Street.
Joyce was training to be a nurse and was attending college in Inverness.
Marriage
At that time, said Dooker’s daughter Wendy Clark, nurses in training were not allow to get married so Joyce left college to work as an auxiliary nurse at Invergordon Hospital.
The couple did marry and set up home in Saltburn, Invergordon, before a move to Queen Street and then Gordon Terrace, which remained home to Dooker and Joyce.
During his time at Balfour Beatty, he got the opportunity to go to Kenya for two-and-a-half years to help with the installation of the powerline network.
After the he return to Scotland, the bulk of Dooker’s career was spent as linesman with the North of Scotland Hydro-Electric Board, working from Dingwall.
On call
Wendy said: “He gained the reputation, along with his colleague Roddy Wood, for always responding to callouts and keeping the lights on in the Highlands.
“He helped restore electricity to 39,000 homes in the Highlands of Scotland after the storm of 1989 and he was seconded to assist English authorities after the Great Hurricane in 1987, which battered the south of England, destroying the power lines.
“While there, he was delighted to live with his sister Poppy and her family.”
Dooker took early retirement aged 62 and pursued his hobbies of bowls, watching football on television and following politics.
He enjoyed socialising with friends at the bowling club, the Marine and the Caley in Invergordon.
“There are not many people who can say they were born, grew up and drank in the same pub,” said Wendy.
Family roots
Dooker was also interested in history and traced his mother’s family back to Stroma, Orkney, where he had a plan to make a visit. He wanted to visit the family home which still stands on the island.
However, the pandemic and his failing health meant that sadly he never managed to get there.