There Can Be Only One! The late Ronnie Elder is granted immortality in unique Highlander competition
To mark the 25th anniversary of the release of Hollywood blockbuster Highlander – which first introduced the world to immortal hero Connor MacLeod – Collins Geo, the publishers of the 2012 Collins Big Road Atlas of Britain, launched a competition offering a member of the public the unique opportunity to achieve “immortality”, by having a previously unnamed Scottish gorge within Clan MacLeod territory on the Isle of Skye named after them. The late Ronald ‘Ronnie’ Elder has been awarded this unique prize, with the newly-named ‘Ronnie Elder’s Gorge’ to be included in the 2012 Collins Big Road Atlas of Britain – where his proud name will echo through the ages, on the map’s pages.
Entering his father as the recipient of this special award, James Elder explained how, upon the release of Highlander, Ronnie was inspired to take his children to Skye (where scenes in the sci-fi blockbuster were filmed).
In contrast to the commonplace childhood choice of Batman or Spiderman, James’s father was his own personal superhero. To the young James, his father seemingly possessed extraordinary powers: questioning how his father could do anything, ‘no matter what he was asked to do’, Ronnie would laugh and retort “it’s a kind of magic” (perhaps alluding to the title of the song by the legendary rock band Queen, which features on the soundtrack to the film).
After Ronnie’s unexpected death at the age of 51, the family spent time climbing the mountains near Loch Lomond, and cast the flowers into the loch as a token of his memory. 10 years before, Ronnie and his sons had left a note in a glass bottle within a stone crevice on the mountain Tarnagon. Having found it, remarkably, after visiting Loch Lomond once more, James discovered that the note included the line most synonymous with Highlander: “There can be only one”.
In contrast to the commonplace childhood choice of Batman or Spiderman, James’s father was his own personal superhero. To the young James, his father seemingly possessed extraordinary powers: questioning how his father could do anything, ‘no matter what he was asked to do’, Ronnie would laugh and retort “it’s a kind of magic” (perhaps alluding to the title of the song by the legendary rock band Queen, which features on the soundtrack to the film).
After Ronnie’s unexpected death at the age of 51, the family spent time climbing the mountains near Loch Lomond, and cast the flowers into the loch as a token of his memory. 10 years before, Ronnie and his sons had left a note in a glass bottle within a stone crevice on the mountain Tarnagon. Having found it, remarkably, after visiting Loch Lomond once more, James discovered that the note included the line most synonymous with Highlander: “There can be only one”.
Rachael Jackson, a descendent of the Clan MacLeod, who co-runs The Skye Food Company and whose family runs Orbost Farm, near to where the gorge is situated, has assisted in coordinating this initiative. Rachael, along with her family, chose the winning entry.Ronnie Elder’s Gorge is located close to ‘MacLeod’s Tables’ near the mountains Healabhal Bheag and Healabhal Mhor, on the Isle of Skye, Scotland.
Jethro Lennox, Publishing Manager at Collins Geo, said: “Given Ronnie’s clear and strong affiliation with the film, he is a highly-deserved winner. The 2012 Collins Big Road Atlas of Britain is proud to be able to offer him a degree of immortality by including him in its forthcoming edition.”
Highlander
This unique competition coincided with the 25th anniversary of the release of the Hollywood blockbuster Highlander (1986), a movie that depicts Christopher Lambert as famous Scottish warrior Connor MacLeod at the climax of an ages-old battle between immortal warriors. The cult Highlander series has inspired a rich franchise of film sequels, television spin-offs, and an upcoming remake. The film's tagline –“There can be only one" – has carried on throughout the franchise, as have the songs provided for the movie by the rock band Queen. Upon initial release, Highlander received mixed reviews, but it has since garnered broad popularity across Europe, the United States, and in other regions around the globe. Internationally, the first Highlander movie made $12,885,193.
Jethro Lennox
Publishing Manager at Collins Geo, believes he was destined to become a cartographer after travelling much of the world before the age of five with his father – a specialist in tropical medicine. He was senior editor of The Times Universal Atlas of the World and has a first class degree in Cartography from Oxford Brookes University. Jethro is regarded as an expert on geographical changes around the world and as a result has provided punditry on a wide variety of media outlets including Sky News and BBC Radio 4 talking about changes to mapping. He is also one of Britain’s foremost hill runners and has won several of the most challenging races in the sport, both as an individual and as a member of the Scottish Hill Running team.
Publishing Manager at Collins Geo, believes he was destined to become a cartographer after travelling much of the world before the age of five with his father – a specialist in tropical medicine. He was senior editor of The Times Universal Atlas of the World and has a first class degree in Cartography from Oxford Brookes University. Jethro is regarded as an expert on geographical changes around the world and as a result has provided punditry on a wide variety of media outlets including Sky News and BBC Radio 4 talking about changes to mapping. He is also one of Britain’s foremost hill runners and has won several of the most challenging races in the sport, both as an individual and as a member of the Scottish Hill Running team.
For further information, please contact Benjamin Webb at Deliberate PR
benjamin@deliberate-pr.com 020 8732 8867 / 07930 408 224
benjamin@deliberate-pr.com 020 8732 8867 / 07930 408 224
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