Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Respected Caithness minister, Reverend Ronald Johnstone, dies aged 73

Reverend Ronald Johnstone
Reverend Ronald Johnstone

Respected Caithness minister Ronald Johnstone has died aged 73.

Reverend Johnstone, known to many as Ronnie, was a Glaswegian who spent half his life serving in the Church of Scotland ministry, mainly in Caithness.

Born on November 11, 1945, and raised in a Christian home, Rev Johnstone’s religious background and strong will for change in his place of worship would eventually bring him to serve in the ministry, but not until after taking on roles in the Civil Service and National Assistance Board.

It wasn’t until after meeting his wife Freda in 1970 that Rev Johnstone would delve into the world of ministry, after she persuaded him to leave behind his job to embark on his studies to becoming a minister and spreading gospel, an area of life she said his heart always belonged.

He served his probationary assistantship at New Erskine Church, before leaving for Pollockshaws Parish Church in 1977. In 1984, Rev Johnstone and his family moved north to Thurso West Church in 1984.

He was the first to retire from the church after a 27-year ministry.

Alan Sparling, the Session Clerk of the Thurso West congregation, paid tribute to Rev Johnstone earlier this month at his funeral.

He said: “Ronnie Johnstone was the complete professional, who showed great care and attention in every aspect of his ministry.

“He came in like a whirlwind, had a coffee and a blether, and left in a breeze, but you felt so much better stronger in your faith for his visit.

“Patient, supportive and encouraging, he was a wise counsellor who was a generous and thoughtful pastor to all.”

Rev Johnstone was well-liked in his local community where he undertook numerous roles away from his presbytery, serving as a member of the Caithness Redesign NHS Group from its inception, campaigning vigorously for the retention of the Dunbar Hospital, where he was an incredibly popular chaplain to patients and staff.

During his retirement, Rev Johnstone enjoyed putting his able piano skills to the test, often playing the organ at Dunbeath Church on Sunday mornings. He was also a dab hand at washing dishes after coffee mornings.

Rev Johnstone and his wife Freda were very much an inseparable team and their contribution to church congregations across the country will never be forgotten.

Rev Johnstone was laid to rest at West Church on September 6 and he is survived by his wife Freda, daughters Pauline and Rachael, sons-in-law Christopher and Giorgio, grandsons Kieran and Lorenzo and his brother Neil.