Caley Thistle may have won a few honours on the park since formation in 1994 but club officials are certainly keeping pace with them and racking up a few honours of their own.

The latest honours for the club come in the form of an MBE for former chairman and current board member Ken Mackie and a CBE for current chairman David Sutherland in the New Years Honours list.

Ken was awarded the MBE for his services to the Inverness community. Not only was he the chairman who guided Caley Thistle through the minefield of gaining entry to the SPL but is also chairman of Inverness, Nairn and Badenoch and Strathspey Enterprise and the former chief executive of the city's Raigmore Hospital.

David Sutherland as we all know is a two-time chairman of Caley Thistle and as well as being the man that many regard as having turned around the club a few years ago when debts were crippling it. He returned to the top job recently after his company, Tulloch managed to complete the building of two stands at the Caledonian Stadium in an amazing period of only 47 working days to bring SPL football to the city.

Mr Sutherland is not being rewarded for that amazing feat by the Queen although our supporters will be eternally grateful for it, but instead he is being rewarded for his services to both business and charity. Tulloch can boast a long list of charities that have benefited from their generosity and David was instrumental in helping achieve this. In 1994 he founded the Highland Homeless at Christmas trust which raised private sector funding to launch and operate the first night shelter north of Aberdeen and he has long been known for connections to charities such as MacMillan Cancer Care, Highland Hospice, Princess Royal Trust for Carers and the Prince's Scottish Youth Business Trust. Tulloch also formed a charitable trust in 2000 that diverts a portion of their annual profits to selected charities. This trust has donated more than £600,000 since formation.

David and Ken join two other Caley Thistle officials who have previously been rewarded for their contribution to society. In 1997 our security chief, John Sutherland was awarded an MBE for his services in the field of anti-terrorism and honorary life president John (Jock) McDonald received an OBE in 2000 for his services to the whisky industry.

Well done to all concerned.