On the tragic death of my father late last year it gives me great pleasure to have this opportunity of recording my first message to my clansmen, and at the same time commending to you the latest Clan Donald Magazine.
As you know, Clan Donald is the largest clan in the world and throughout its great history has produced many heroes from all walks of life. Because of its size, members of Clan Donald now live in all parts of the world, many thousands of miles from their original homeland. Living in this present time, with air travel a formality and great distances covered in a matter of hours, one would have thought that never before would Clan Donald have been so united. Sadly this is not so in spite of the fact there is a great bond between clansmen and clanswomen at home and overseas, the bond being the five traditions of the clan, common to us all, which have been handed down through the centuries by our forefathers.
My father, when he became High Chief of Clan Donald in 1947 was already deeply involved in public work in the Highlands, and was therefore unable to give as much time to the clan as he would have liked, and consequently unity within the clan suffered. No organisation can become united without the complete dedication of its leader.
I, fortunately, am in the position of having very few time consuming commitments at the moment, on account of my age, and it is my real ambition, and indeed that of many others, to completely unite Clan Donald, and make anyone who bears its name proud to belong to a family that has played a very great part in the history of the world.
It is my sincere intention to meet as many of you as I possibly can within the next few months, finances permitting, and indeed by the time many of you read this I hope you will already have met me.
I wish this Clan Donald Magazine, and every one of you that reads it every success.
Macdonald.