Among the Queen’s Birthday Honours announced during the Platinum Jubilee celebrations was the award of Member of the British Empire to Perth man Bill Duncan.

He received the MBE for his services to curling and to charity.

Born in 1947 in Perth, Bill attended Caledonian Road school before moving on to Perth Academy, leaving in 1964 to join what was the British Linen Bank and is now the Bank of Scotland.

He worked for the bank for 44 years, managing branches in Perth, in Highland Perthshire and latterly working as a corporate director in Edinburgh until his retirement in 2007.

From 2003 to 2005, Bill held the post of president of Perthshire Chamber of Commerce.

Since his retirement Bill has committed his life to volunteering and charity work through the Rotary Club of Perth, Live Active Leisure and The Free to Live Trust of which he remains a trustee.

His services to curling are spread worldwide with Bill serving as Scottish representative to the World Curling Federation over a number of years, and also as chair of both the World Junior Curling Championships and the Rotary World Curling Championships when held in Perth.

He has also been a board member and president of the Royal Caledonian Curling Club (RCCC), Scotland’s governing body of the sport, and convenor of the Scottish Umpiring Committee for five years.

More locally, his dedication to the sport is well known, having been chair, vice-chair and treasurer of Perth Masters, chair of the City of Perth Ladies Curling Championships, and captain of both a Strathcona Cup Tour and a Rotary Curling Tour to Canada.

When requested, Bill took on another local role as chair of Perth Ice Rink and served as financial director for a number of years.

Bill currently holds a position as a trustee of the European Curling Fund.

On a more personal note, he was a member of the 2013 rink that won gold at the National Masters Championships for over 60s.

His services to charity in Perth have also taken up a considerable amount of his talent and energy, holding a role as director and chair of Live Active Leisure, serving as a trustee with the Black Watch Association, also as a director of Perth College UHI and a trustee of the Scottish Colleges Foundation.

Always a friendly face, Bill’s work over the last 15 years with the Rotary Club of Perth has included two terms as president and actively working on most of the club’s numerous fundraising activities and project work.

PERTHSHIRE ADVERTISER – 24th June 2022