TEA BREAK
Donald MacMillan
WEST COAST REVIEW | 19
Tea break:
e councillor
My name is Donald (Donnie)
MacMillan, I am a local councillor
and vice chair of Mid Argyll,
Kintyre and the Islands Area
Committee. I’m 90 years old.
My working day:
My day is spent meeting with
constituents and attending
committee meetings. I try to go
to different places and just walk
around and meet people.
I do my best to support all the
local organisations. I’ve got
three grand-daughters, and
when they were growing up I
used to take them to visit all the
coffee mornings – that was my
way of supporting community
groups.
Challenges:
We want to resolve problems
and help as many people as
possible, but you can’t satisfy
everyone. I do try to be honest
with people about the committee
and what we can and can’t
do. I fi nd that people lose faith
if you don’t tell them the truth
from the beginning.
Before I was on the council I
was in the police, so I gained
a lot of knowledge from that,
that’s helped me in this job too.
This year we are focused on
trying to get more housing for
people who fi nd themselves
homeless, and trying to get
more money spent on the
roads.
Rewards:
One of the biggest changes
in my time on the council has
been the formation of the area
committees, which was defi -
nitely a change for the better
because it got us speaking to
people more.
We now go around the different
areas on a regular basis, and
go to each island at least once
a year. It brings the council to
the people.
Our best achievements include
acquiring £3 million for the regeneration
of Ardrishaig and
Lochgilphead, and also a substantial
amount for Kilmartin
museum.
Having been a member of the
council’s First World War commemoration
committee, I have
been involved in several events
and I was delighted with the
very successful event commemorating
the sinking of the
ships off Islay during the First
World War.
Why Argyll?
The people are tremendous.
Tea or coffee?
Tea.
And a wee treat?
A chocolate éclair or strawberry
tart please.
Mr MacMillan, an independent,
is ward member for Mid Argyll.
He can be contacted via 01546
603222 or donald.macmillan@
argyll-bute.gov.uk
West Coast Review joins a hard-working member of
the community for a fi ve-minute tea break – and
fi nds out what it is that they love about their job.
“Our best achievements
include acquiring £3 million
for the regeneration of
Ardrishaig and Lochgilphead”