Badenoch & Strathspey Orienteering Club

A tribute to Bill McCarthy

Bill Mc Carthy
Bill Mc Carthy
Published: Thu 12 Sept 2019

Marion MacCormick, along with Norma and Mike Atherton, have written a tribute to Bill McCarthy who was a fellow BASOC founder member.

It is with great sadness that we report the death of Bill McCarthy. Bill, along with his wife Caroline, was part of the small team that brought BASOC on to the orienteering scene in the year 2000. It was a close-knit group and everyone worked together to make the club the success it has become. Bill was always there ready with a smile to help out at whatever was needed - whether it was a tent to put up, a fence to repair or a Start to be manned. When a generator was acquired by the club it was Bill who kept it running smoothly for us. He and Caroline often lent a helping hand in the early days of the BASOC junior coaching, with Bill even showing the youngsters how to tie their shoelaces with a knot that wouldn’t come undone! Those of us in the club who were involved in the major event of Strathspey 2007 will not forget the great contribution Bill made to that success. Nothing was ever too much for him and anything he did for us was always done with a smile and a kind word.
In addition Bill and Caroline brought into orienteering their 4 sons amongst whom we all know Donald who now joins us in the tent at the 6 Days when he is home from Sweden and Ewan who organised a street event for us in Kingussie not so long ago. In more recent years injury has prevented Bill form being actively involved in orienteering and it is for this reason that some of you may not have had the pleasure of meeting him.
We would like to pass on our condolences and our best wishes to Caroline and her family and to thank them all for the part they have played in the life of BASOC.