Rev Dr Alfred Merriweather

A Yorkshireman by birth, he moved north with his family to Edinburgh in 1930 when his father accepted a call to Martyrs' and St John's United Free Church. There, he attended George Heriot's School before proceeding to his medical studies at Edinburgh University. Convinced that his future lay in becoming a missionary doctor he became associated with the Edinburgh Medical Missionary Society, gaining invaluable experience through his active involvement in its work among the

underprivileged population of the Cowgate. Graduating MB, ChB in 1941, he was awarded the Wightman Prize for clinical medicine.

In common with many of his contemporaries, Alfred Merriweather's future plans were interrupted by the claims of war service. As a medical officer he served in the Indian Army from 1941 to 1944 and was mentioned in despatches for his devotion to duty while under fire in the Chin Hills of Burma.

In response to a request from the British High Commissioner in Pretoria he was released from military service in 1944 to proceed to Molepolole in what was then the British protectorate of Bechuanaland, to provide the ageing Dr P M Shepherd with much needed support in the Scottish Livingstone Hospital. So began an association which was to span the next 55 years and to have a profound influence upon the future development of an emerging independent nation.

Appointed as a missionary of the United Free Church of Scotland in 1944, and ordained by that Church in 1949, Alfred Merriweather was medically and spiritually well equipped to assume responsibility for the Scottish Livingstone Hospital, and for the Molepolole District of the then London Missionary Society. Encouraged by the loyal and generous support of the United Free Church of Scotland, he worked tirelessly to enhance the image and facilities of the hospital as a centre of medical excellence and to establish clinics in neighbouring villages and in remote communities in the Kalahari Desert. His medical reputation was such that he was invited to become medical adviser to the late Sir Seretse Khama, first President of Botswana, and frequently accompanied him on his travels, both in Africa and abroad.

His wisdom, administrative skills, and commitment to the country and people of Botswana were further acknowledged when he was elected Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, and subsequently first Speaker of the National Assembly of Botswana. These and his many other services to the country were recognised in 1972 when he was awarded The Presidential Order of Merit, a fitting addition to the OBE and the CBE which he had previously received in 1960 and 1968 respectively.

When in 1975 the Scottish Livingstone hospital was handed over to the Botswana Government, he became a Senior Medical Officer in the Botswana Health Service. In that capacity he continued to play an important role in the provision and development of efficient healthcare facilities and his skills were further recognised when he was appointed Medical Officer in Charge of the prestigious Princess Marina Hospital in Gaborone in 1980.

Throughout a long and busy life Alfred Merriweather was consistently motivated and sustained by a strong religious faith. An eloquent and persuasive preacher in both Setswana and English he had a remarkable capacity to communicate what he believed to others and to point them to the God it was his delight to serve. Under the auspices of the London Missionary Society, and later the United Congregational Church of Southern Africa, he was able to make a vital contribution not only to church life in Molepolole, but to an ambitious outreach programme in the surrounding villages of the Kweneng. Honoured by the United Free Church of Scotland by his appointment as Moderator of the General Assembly of 1979, he worked tirelessly to maintain and strengthen that Church's historic links with Botswana. As recently as last June he addressed the General Assembly with a vigour and enthusiasm that belied his

years.

At his funeral in Molepolole, attended by the President of Botswana, dignitaries representing many facets of public life, and unnumbered crowds of ordinary people, moving tributes were paid to the man and his work. The universal esteem and affection in which Alfred Merriweather was held were evident for all to see. His 55 years of unremitting service had assuredly left their mark. Scotland has good reason to be proud of its adopted son.

His first wife, Winifred, was killed in 1971, in a road accident in which he and daughter Joy were seriously injured. He is survived by his second wife, Mary, whom he married in 1976, and daughters Joy, Mpho, and Ellah who, with their families, were a constant source of strength and encouragement to him.