The Rift

Isn't it sad when you take a wonderful thing and ruin it?? This is essentially what has happened to the DHA. Once again, the attack dogs from Clan MacTavish have circled and they are nipping at the heels of the wonderful people at the Dunardry Heritage Association.

First, none of this would be possible without the Late Edward Stewart Dugald MacTavish. Dugald as he was commonly called, was not shy about admitting that there was a serious rift between him and his son, Steven. He did not believe that Steven would carry on with Clan MacTavish or be a good chief if he did and made provision so that that the purpose of Clan MacTavish would continue with the Dunardry Heritage Association. This Association could continue without “a Chief”.

Dugald died June 19^th, 2005, and his body lay undiscovered for 2 days. Only his personal friendship with Tom and Mary prompted them to contact the Vancouver police after not being able to contact him over the weekend. His son, who had not been in contact with his father for years, didn't have a clue, and didn't care. There was a Clan Gathering planned for July of 2005, and Dugald had sole access to the accounts of the organization, plans for the trip, etc. Many phone calls were made between the directors of DHA and Steven, and he cooperated in making a death certificate available to the organization.

Upon being granted access to the accounts it was discovered that there was a serious shortage of money for this trip. Granted, the DHA did not have access to any of Dugald’s other accounts, so this shortage may have been made up by the late Chief in the three weeks prior to the trip. However, money was misused and by Dugald, who held a firm grip on the funds of this organization. NOT BY ANYONE ELSE, AS IS BEING CLAIMED! Dugald wrote the checks, no one else.

We have a tally of the last 4 years expenses. Dugald embezzled the following by year. We have documentation that when Patricia was Treasurer, she knew he was misusing funds then. Why don't Steven and the gang quit accusing the DHA Treasurer of misusing money, when they know exactly how and by whom it was misused.

Tom and Mary were loyal supporters of the Late Dugald MacTavish. They loaned the organization money so that the planned excursion to Scotland could be made. Mary wanted to travel also, but there was not enough money for her to do so. Tom and Mary agreed to keep Dugald's misuse of funds quiet. They would not dirty his name, wanted him remembered as he had been and didn't want the clan the brunt of more jokes. While Tom and Mary worked hard handling a sudden barrage of requests (new member packets, clan newsletter, clan catalog, etc.) they were sabotaged. Key directors of the group, played out what would be called in third world countries – a coup. Membership lists were stolen, credit card numbers and passwords were shared, the list goes on and on. Their crime Being loyal to the memory of EDWARD STEWART DUGALD MACTAVISH and carrying on with his plans for the clan through the Dunardry Heritage Association.

Dugald make Patrick Chief's Lieutenant because it was a do-nothing position that would sooth Patrick's desire to "be" somebody. Dugald would occasionally let Patrick parade around with a feather. Dugald knew Patrick would "tweak" anything to get history to come out the way he wanted and didn't trust him. As "lieutenant" he was controlled and Dugald left him out of the "link" of people he trusted. Patrick once asked Tom to "fudge" clan history so he could write a book and the "clan" could make some money. FUDGE history to write a book? Tom refused but I don't be surprised if a book of "history" doesn't surface from our friend Patrick. What other information out there is "fudged"???? See the following quote from an e-mail dated 7/5/2005.

If at all possible, we need to find what there is left of the Papers that Dugald had to complete it,

or we have to do some fudging to get it done. We can earn bucks for the clan if we put this to print.

She and Dugald quarreled - she left nasty posts on different forums, threatening Dugald. She was webmaster, Sec/Treas. for DHA (an organization she helps now cast doubt on it's ever existing??) and membership secretary before Donley came on the scene. She gained far too much control over too many parts of the organization. She took loads of information off the website claiming it as her own private property when it was not. Dugald confirmed all of this. Larry was always a supporter of Patricia for reasons unknown. Patricia, through Larry, said she didn't have any papers or anything from the website........but on Steven's website she admitted that she had "copies and originals". Well, none of them belonged to her, they belonged to DHA who was footing the bill for the website and Dugald's trips to Scotland 'researching.'

Bitter because Dugald finally told him he wasn't doing his job as North American Commissioner and he would not, as had been the arrangement, have him as president of DHA if anything happened to Dugald. Larry had served as ACTING President at one meeting in early 2000. Dugald chose Tom Thompson instead. Larry was never elected President of the DHA........he was appointed ACTING President, but not elected. He calls himself president saying he was the only legally elected one - not so - he was NEVER elected....... Larry you don't like Patrick much either! See e-mail dated 9/5/05 to Donley

....the only other person with access to clan financial information and the only possible source for Steven to acquire the credit card info enabling them to steal the website. He was the DHA membership secretary who illegally changed the Privacy Act Statement and put a statement into it allowing him to give personal data to Steven. He did not get it approved by the board of directors, and he did not notify all members that he was giving their information to Steven. Both obviously required or the idea of the Privacy Act statement is voided. This puts Donley in violation of the Graham Leach Bliley Act.

Donley gave Steven the DHA membership list which Steven then used to contact members, lie to them about what the FACTS were, threaten them with disavowing them from the clan if they stayed with DHA.......Donley willingly and (apparently) gleefully aided and abetted Steven in these endeavors as Donley wrote any member who chose to stay with/help DHA and told them they were not welcome in Clan MacTavish, Inc.

Donley was the biggest enabler of Steven's actions and was "supposedly" working hand in glove with Tom and Mary on the future of the DHA.....all the while conspiring with Steven for the coup. Without Donley's duplicity, none of this would have been possible.

These people are well known out there in the land of the Internet Message Boards, over the years, harassing all those who might have another opinion. They have been kicked off of numerous message boards, for their tactics:

You have inherited a legacy, an honorable name. Please live up to the expectations of many of us.