His Excellency Grand Marshall Kenneth MacRae
Baron of Dingwall
Born in 1967 his father was John MacRae, the Baron of Dingwall a highland farming region. His mother, Melinda, was the daughter of a local magistrate. Kenneth, or Kenny to his friends, is the eldest of three children.
From an early age he was educated in the duties of a farmer despite being the heir to a Baron's title. He would spend any school holidays helping to plant crops, tend to animals, fix fences or any other duty. He claims that by the age of 10 he was proficient in driving a tractor. Kenneth was also a keen rugby player and at the age of 12 was offered a scholarship at the Kilgreen School for Boys, a well respected private school with a reputation for rugby. He accepted the scholarship and went on to represent the schools First XV as well as the nation at U-16 and U-18 levels.
By the time he reached the end of schooling in 1995 he contemplated following a career playing rugby but instead was encouraged to go to University by his father. He attended Sleat University and studied Estate Management and Gamekeeping. While at University he represented the Federation Students at rugby. Upon graduation he began working on the family estate helping to manage a collection of five farms in the area.
In 1999 at a Young Farmers Association social event he meet a wealthy landowners daughter called Annie and the two began a relationship before getting married in 2001. The two now have a son, Bruce who was born in 2003 and a daughter, Kelly, born in 2006.
In 2000 he was asked to serve as a Special Adviser in the government on countryside affairs and he got a taste of being involved in politics. In 2003 he stood for election to the Standing Council. Between 2003 and 2017 he held various positions in the cabinet ranging from Minister of Agriculture to Minister for Cross Federation Affairs (seen as the 2nd highest position in the nations cabinet). In 2018 he confirmed that when the MacRae clan could next appoint a Grand Marshall he intended to stand for the position and began working towards that aim forming coalitions within other clans. When in March 2021 the time came he was able to claim 42% of the clan's vote in a four way race. He will serve as Grand Marshall until April 2022.