A former Highland League footballer who completed a 124-mile charity cycle after being diagnosed with terminal brain cancer has died aged 65.
Tributes have been paid to sporting all-rounder and fundraiser Gordon MacDonald after his death in Perth, Australia, where he’d spent his later years.
Gordon was a goalkeeper with Inverness Thistle but also shone at squash, badminton, athletics, cricket and golf.
His funeral will be held near his home in Perth on March 27.
Gordon was the middle son of Margaret MacDonald, who lives in Inverness, and the late Donnie MacDonald – who played for all three Inverness Highland League football sides and was a former President of Inverness Golf Club.
Gordon MacDonald’s charity efforts
He had been receiving intensive treatment in the Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital in Perth following a diagnosis of terminal brain cancer in January 2022.
With the help of friends, Gordon recently raised funds for Charlie’s Foundation for Research by embarking on his epic two-day sponsored cycle.
That wasn’t the first time he had gone to great lengths for charity, either.
In the 1980s and 1990s he ran 11 marathons, including London and New York.
Charities supported included the Leonard Cheshire Foundation, Guide Dogs for the Blind, Highland Hospice and Raigmore Hospital Radio.
Gordon was given a prognosis of 12 to 15 months when he was diagnosed with grade 4 terminal brain cancer more than three years ago – and was determined to defy the odds.
Even after his diagnosis he continued working his job at the Department of Justice in Perth for a few hours a week.
Gordon showed ‘truly remarkable courage’
Gordon’s story emerged during research by the Inverness Football Memories Project of the MacDonald family from Inverness.
His older brother Jeff – who is based mainly in Austin, Texas – played for Caledonian and his younger brother Kevin – who lives near Leicester – played for Caledonian, Leicester City, Liverpool, Coventry City and Rangers, and coached at Aston Villa and for the Republic of Ireland.
Gordon went to school at Central Primary and Inverness High School and excelled at most sports.
At football, he played in goal and signed for Inverness Thistle in the late 1970s.
A leg break curtailed his career and he moved south to join the London Metropolitan and Sussex Police Service UK.
On his retiral in 2012, he moved permanently to Perth, where he lived with his wife Sue, whom he had married in 2006.
Gordon had two daughters, Grace and Thea, and four step-children, Katie, Rachael, Christopher and Rebecca.
Dave Milroy, who played more than 900 games for Thistle and was a former teammate of Gordon’s at Kingsmills Park, said: “Gordon was a first-class goalie and only a broken leg stopped him from progressing his career with Thistle.
“He was a fun guy to have around. Like his parents and brothers, he was multi-talented, shining at all the sports he played.
“Even when he was diagnosed with a terminal illness, he did not let it get in the way of raising so much money for charity through his 200km cycle.
“He showed truly remarkable courage to fight his illness to the end.
“Our thoughts are with the MacDonald family at this time.”
Conversation