Hamilton athlete David Cooney was “flabbergasted” to be awarded a British Empire Medal in the King’s New Year’s honours list... and thought the email was a scam.
Mr Cooney, 73, who has been with Cambuslang Harriers for 52 years, saw the title bar of ‘NY honours 23’ and debated opening it, reasoning that he doesn’t “know anyone in New York”.
He will now be informed by the Lord Lieutenant when he is to receive the honour, which is for services to athletics, but says he is simply floored by the whole thing.
Mr Cooney, from High Earnock in Hamilton, said: “It was totally unexpected and it’s a huge honour. I was certainly flabbergasted with it.
“Actually, the news came via an email and I didn’t open it for a few hours – I thought it was a scam! In the box it said ‘NY honours 23’ and I thought ‘I don’t know anybody in New York’ so I debated whether I’d actually open it.
“I clicked on it, read the letter, and I still wasn’t fully convinced. There was a number you could call, which I did, but they didn’t get back to me.
“One of the other things that made me suspicious was that it was a very short turn-around. It was December 1 that I heard, and you had to reply by the third.
“I opened it up, I went ahead with it, and I was bound to secrecy, so I couldn’t say to anyone.
“I told my wife, Anne, in confidence, and we didn’t tell anybody.
“The embargo was lifted at 10.30pm on Friday evening, and we were down in Sunderland at our eldest son’s house and our other two sons and their families were there, and they were flabbergasted when I told them the news.”
David has been on Harriers’ committee for 49 years, and twice served as president for a total of 33 years, but still doesn’t feel that he should be singled out for the honour.
A former history teacher at Hamilton Grammar, David said: “I’ve been with Harriers for 52 years. I started running in December 1970 with a wee group from Blantyre, and six months earlier during the summer I was out walking in Halfway and saw a group of Harriers.
“I said to my wife-to-be ‘I don’t know how these guys can be bothered running – you’d never catch me doing that’, but within six months I had taken up running and got the bug.
“Our little group from Blantyre was stopped and invited to join Cambuslang, which we did, and I didn’t look back.
“I joined the committee in 1974 and I’ve been on it ever since, so that’s 49 years, and during that time I’ve served two stints as club president, which accumulate to 33 years.”
David will receive his honour in a low-key affair.
He said: “Within a few months, because it’s a BEM, it will be a local ceremony, conducted by the Lord Lieutenant, so I am waiting on information on that.
“As long as the information doesn’t come by email – because I might delete it!”
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