Seamus McSporran, BEM

British Empire Medal

The Medal of the Order of the British Empire for Meritorious Service, usually known as the British Empire Medal , is a British medal awarded for meritorious civil or military service worthy of recognition by the Crown...

 (born 1938) is a Scottish

Scotland

Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

 man who worked in 14 jobs for 31 years in the Scottish island of Gigha

Gigha

The Isle of Gigha is a small island off the west coast of Kintyre in Scotland. The island forms part of Argyll and Bute and has a population of about 150 people, many of whom speak Scottish Gaelic. The climate is mild with higher than average sunshine hours and the soils are fertile.Gigha has a...

. The island has a population of about 150.

For 31 years McSporran was working in 14 jobs:

• ambulance
  Ambulance
  An ambulance is a vehicle for transportation of sick or injured people to, from or between places of treatment for an illness or injury, and in some instances will also provide out of hospital medical care to the patient...
  
  , bus
  Bus
  A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
  
   and taxi
  Taxicab
  A taxicab, also taxi or cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of their choice...
  
   driver (all the same vehicle)
• bed and breakfast
  Bed and breakfast
  A bed and breakfast is a small lodging establishment that offers overnight accommodation and breakfast, but usually does not offer other meals. Since the 1980s, the meaning of the term has also extended to include accommodations that are also known as "self-catering" establishments...
  
   hotel keeper (including renting bicycle
  Bicycle
  A bicycle, also known as a bike, pushbike or cycle, is a human-powered, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A person who rides a bicycle is called a cyclist, or bicyclist....
  
  s to tourists)
• fire chief
• insurance agent
• petrol pump attendant
• pier
  Pier
  A pier is a raised structure, including bridge and building supports and walkways, over water, typically supported by widely spread piles or pillars...
  
   master
• police officer
  Police officer
  A police officer is a warranted employee of a police force...
  
  
• postmaster
  Postmaster
  A postmaster is the head of an individual post office. Postmistress is not used anymore in the United States, as the "master" component of the word refers to a person of authority and has no gender quality...
  
  
• registrar of births, marriages and deaths
• rent
  Renting
  Renting is an agreement where a payment is made for the temporary use of a good, service or property owned by another. A gross lease is when the tenant pays a flat rental amount and the landlord pays for all property charges regularly incurred by the ownership from landowners...
  
   collector
• shopkeeper
  Shopkeeper
  A shopkeeper is an individual who owns a shop. Generally, shop employees are not shopkeepers, but are often incorrectly referred to as shopkeepers. Today, a shopkeeper is usually referred to as a manager, though this term could apply to larger firms .*In many south asian languages like Hindi, Urdu,...
  
  
• undertaker

McSporran began in 1965 as postmaster and shopkeeper and gradually increased his responsibilities. In 1989 he received the British Empire Medal

British Empire Medal

The Medal of the Order of the British Empire for Meritorious Service, usually known as the British Empire Medal , is a British medal awarded for meritorious civil or military service worthy of recognition by the Crown...

 for his services.

McSporran announced his retirement in April 2000 at the age of 62. In an interview he said that his wife had been a great help with his multiple duties. His brother is Willie McSporran

Willie McSporran

Willie McSporran MBE former chair of the Hebridean Isle of Gigha's Heritage Trust. In 2002 the trust raised £4 million for the purchase of the island, which is now managed by its 160-strong population.His brother is Seamus McSporran.-External links:...

.

McSporran was featured in the widely used English textbooks for adults New Headway Elementary and New Headway Elementary 3rd Edition.