FIFTY years ago the Rev Lachlan MacLeod, his wife Jetta and their six children left the Island of Lewis and made their way to their new home in Denholm Street, Greenock.

On 3 March 1965, the Rev MacLeod was inducted to Martyr’s Memorial Church in West Shaw Street.

Kenneth, Alasdair, Duncan and Betsy started at Ardgowan Primary School almost immediately. At that time Catherine and MairiAnn were still pre-school. The seventh and last member of the family, James Lachlan, was welcomed a year later.

Greenock of the 1960s with its bustling shipyards, sugar refiners and busy River Clyde was a far cry from the MacLeod family’s far flung home in the Outer Hebrides.

All seven MacLeod children completed their school education in Greenock before going on to university. Kenneth, Alasdair, Duncan and Betsy attended Greenock High School, while Catherine, MairiAnn and James were pupils of Greenock Academy.

Their father remained a minister in Greenock until his retirement in December 1993. He and his wife Jetta retired to Dingwall in Ross-shire where Jetta had attended school and where she had been a teacher many years before.

The Rev MacLeod died in October 1998 and his wife passed away in March 2010.

Kenneth MacLeod, now 60, featured recently in the Telegraph, having just published a book of poetry written both by himself and his childhood friend, the late Iain Banks.

He has been married to Carol for 34 years, lives in Edinburgh and is a successful sci-fi writer. Kenneth and Carol have a daughter Sharon and a son Michael, Alasdair, 59, was a partner with Deloitte in New Zealand, where he emigrated in the late 1970s. He is now chairman of Tomatoes NZ, an organisation that represents commercial tomato growers. He and his wife Mary, who live in Napier, have been married for 35 years and have three-grown up children — Caroline, Jeremy and Lesa. They have a son-in-law George.

Duncan, 58, is retired after a career teaching French in Edinburgh. He spends his time between Edinburgh and the south of France, when he is not travelling the world.

Betsy, 56, is a freelance English tutor, writer and artist.

She has been married to Neil MacKay for 36 years and they have two grown-up sons, Andrew and David. They have a daughter-in-law Lynn and a grandson Finn. Betsy and Neil live in Forres, Moray.

Catherine, 54, is the Registrar at Knox College, Dunedin, New Zealand.

She and her husband David Van Dorp have been married 32 years and live in Waikouaiti. They have three grown-up children, Miles, MaryAnn and Hannah, and a son-in-law Jarrod.

MairiAnn, 52, is a senior research fellow at the University of Warwick.

She has been married to Stephen Cullen for 33 years. The couple live in Warwick and have a son Patrick and a grandson Toby.

James, 49, is Professor of History at the University of Evansville, Indiana, USA.

He is also a well known cartoonist and featured recently in the Telegraph when one of his cartoons went viral following the Charlie Hebdo shootings in Paris.

James has been married to Jessica for 16 years and have three school age children, Eilidh, Calum and Gavin.

The accompanying colour photograph shows six MacLeod siblings after their mother’s funeral in 2010. Back row, from left, are Duncan, who is holding a picture of James, Betsy and Alasdair. Front: MairiAnn, Kenneth and Catherine. All seven siblings have not managed to be together since Betsy’s wedding in 1978.

The old picture shows the Rev Lachlan MacLeod and his wife Jetta with six of their children, including baby MairiAnn.