Tributes to Lindsey from Olya, John, and Joan (edited):
Olya Kurasova Macaulay
The first time I saw Lindsey he looked strict and serious – but I soon learned that he could smile and laugh and had a terrific sense of humour. He was openhearted, honest and generous, and I had no doubt that he was a person I could fully trust and rely on.
I came to Scotland from Russia in the early autumn 2009. The dramatic Scottish landscape deeply impressed me – but when the golden ball in the sky didn’t appear, Lindsey fully replaced it for me. When he returned home from work, I could hear his joyful, “Hiya, how are you doing?” and suddenly everything was ok again. I fell in love with Scotland and this Scotsman. Lindsey’s family accepted me into the Macaulay clan with love. I am proud to carry the Macaulay name.
Lindsey was a very active person and always had an idea or plan of what to do. His interests were varied; everything he did, he did with perfection.
My life with Lindsey was very short – just nine years together – but it was full of unforgettable memories, events and experiences. Lindsey was my whole world. He was my treasure. I valued and enjoyed every minute I spent with my husband.
I will always love my Highlander, my dearest husband Lindsey George Macaulay.
John Cooper
On occasions like these, words are never adequate to convey the sadness and loss we are feeling.
My friendship with Lindsey came through beekeeping, and like everyone in the Association who came to know him I recognised him for what he clearly was – an honest, likeable, generous, straightforward and thoroughly decent person. From the word go he was clearly a good man.
In the local beekeeping community one cannot speak of Lindsey without including Olya as well, of course. We found them a wonderful couple who took to beekeeping with a boundless enthusiasm and dedication. When Lindsey and Olya did something, whether beekeeping or otherwise, they did it thoroughly and with good humour. They soon involved themselves in the Association work by becoming active committee members and by producing our Newsletter to an exceptionally high standard.
The first time I met Lindsey and Olya was on an August day several years back when members had arranged to meet at the glider field near Aboyne for a picnic lunch prior to a session with Murray McGregor and his bees. I was with my beekeeping buddy, John Steele, and we turned up in our usual style with a simple cheese sandwich and a small flask of tea. We approached one of the picnic tables and were introduced to Lindsey and Olya, and our eyes popped when we saw the sumptuous spread of a Russian picnic covering the whole of the table top. Everyone there ate well that day, and my cheese sandwich was fed to the birds in my garden that evening.
I would like to make one additional observation which illustrates Lindsey’s fortitude and strength of spirit. Right to the end, despite the severe physical and mental toll that his medical condition was taking, Lindsey was pushing ahead with his passion for restoring classic motorbikes. I believe he owned getting on for a dozen. BSA, Triumph, Norton – you name it and he probably had one. What a man.
I, and I know others, will sorely miss Lindsey on a personal friendship level, and the association has certainly lost a truly outstanding member.
Quite simply, Lindsey was a lovely man.
Joan Gilbert-Stevens
I met Lindsey and Olya through our common interest in beekeeping and got to know both of them over the course of the last four years.
Beekeeping ran in Lindsey’s family. From the ripe old age of eight, he started to take an active interest in beekeeping, working alongside his dad, despite being stung frequently.
Lindsey had a great eye for detail, and regularly entered items of home-made or refurbished beekeeping equipment into the honey show. Everything was beautifully made and finished to a very high standard, and he regularly left the show with prizes.
I know that looking after the welfare of his bees was very important to him. He was a regular visitor to our house to pick up stores and I always enjoyed spending time with him chatting over a cup of tea. To me, those times of chatting and laughing remain a lovely memory.
Lindsey will be sadly missed by everybody.