The Provost of Argyll and Bute, Councillor Dougie Philand, has paid tribute to his former colleague, Donnie MacMillan BEM, who passed away on 28 May 2026.
Provost Philand said: “It is with great sadness that our community was informed of Donnie’s passing.
“Donnie truly represented his local community for decades and was well loved and respected by all who came across him.
“Given his quiet dedication, hard work and efforts on behalf of his community, it is no surprise that he was awarded both the British Empire Medal in the Queen’s New Year Honours List in 2019, and subsequently the Freedom of Argyll and Bute in December 2022. Most of all he was very popular with the local people he represented, who returned him as their councillor for many, many years.
“Beyond his beloved Mid Argyll, Donnie was well known as one of Scotland’s oldest and longest serving councillors. He gave over four decades of service to the people of Argyll and Bute, from his time on Strathclyde Regional and Argyll and Bute District Councils in the early 1980s, right up until May 2022 when his work as a councillor concluded at the magnificent age of 94. This was an incredible achievement and one that was surely unparallelled in Scotland. For Donnie, though, what always mattered most was local people, his friends and neighbours, for whom he always had time to listen and a cheery smile.
“On a personal note, as well as being his colleague in Mid Argyll and on the Council, I was also his milk boy 50 years ago when he owned a local dairy. He always made sure his staff were well looked after whilst working for him. That was Donnie’s nature in everything he did.
“On behalf of Argyll and Bute Council, I send my thoughts and condolences to Donnie’s family. We all share the sadness of his passing but we do so with much love and respect for a man who gave so much for his community and who will be sadly missed.”
