Former Aboyne GP Dr Tom Stewart has died aged 87.
He was a partner in the medical practice in the Deeside community for 30 years, while also serving with Braemar Mountain Rescue Team as team doctor.
Tom was also active on Aboyne Highland Games Committee for many years.
In 2001, he was made an MBE for his services to mountain rescue.
Tom served with Braemar Mountain Rescue Team from the early 1970s until his retiral from medical practice in 1996. He remained honorary president until his death.
He trained regularly with the team and took part in many searches and rescues over the years, providing his medical skills when required.
One of his earliest experiences was in the Cairngorm Disaster of November 1971 in which five schoolchildren and an assistant leader died.
The subsequent Fatal Accident Inquiry led to new safety recommendations for youth expeditions into the mountains.
Munros
As well as his mountain rescue activities, Tom also spent a lot of his free time in the hills, keeping fit through climbing Munros, skiing and ski mountaineering.
Tom Stewart was one of 12 children born to Malcolm and Susan Stewart in Johnstone, Renfrewshire.
After graduating in medicine from Glasgow University, he finished his medical training at Raigmore Hospital, Inverness, where he met his future wife Maratina (Tina) who was a radiographer.
Marriage
They married in Inverness in 1960. Tom then spent four years with the Royal Army Medical Corps in the south of England and in Cyprus. Their daughter Margaret was born during this period.
Tom moved to Aboyne in 1966 when it was a quiet village. Before long, the oil boom started, the community expanded and over the years he helped to build up the practice to keep pace with the expanding population.
He started rock climbing while at university and his love of the hills led him to Aboyne because of its proximity to the mountains.
Retiral
When he retired, Tom and Tina moved to Gairloch as they both loved the west coast and had spent many holidays there. They remained there until 2016 when they downsized and moved to Inverness.
A spokesperson for Braemar Mountain Rescue Team said: “Tom’s legacy within the team continues to this day and his memory will live long in our minds.”