A young Campbeltown woman destined for a career in childcare lost her life in a car accident last Friday morning.
Amanda McAulay, 27, died at the scene when her blue Peugeot 107 and a white Vauxhall Mokka collided on the A83 north of Tarbert.
The three occupants from the Mokka, a 49-year-old woman, and two men, aged 57 and 19 years, were taken by air and road ambulances to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow, where medical staff described their conditions as serious but stable.
Amanda’s parents, Jim and Linda McAulay, described their daughter as a joyful, loving girl who children, animals and the elderly gravitated towards, saying that “she had time for each and every one of them”.
Jim and Linda adopted Amanda and her older brother Gary when Amanda was four years old. The siblings have an older sister Kerryanne, who was brought up by her auntie.
“She was an absolute gift,” said her parents.
“Amanda was a joyful, loving wee lassie with a very happy disposition. We are absolutely devastated that she has gone.”
Amanda attended Dalintober Primary School and Campbeltown Grammar and worked in Auchinlee Care Home during her senior school years and while studying for her childcare qualifications at Argyll College, showing her commitment by juggling both.
She also volunteered through Covid, looking after emergency workers’ children to allow them to continue their crucial work on the front line.
Latterly Amanda worked at Riverside Rascals day nursery in Lochgilphead, where she has lived for the past five years. She was also on the Children’s Panel for Scotland and was dedicated to helping youngsters.
A mother of children who attended Riverside Rascals said: “She was a lovely lassie. She looked after my kids. I cried my heart out when I heard what happened.”
Amanda’s end goal was to be a counsellor to young people who had came through the care system. She was studying counselling and psychology in order to achieve her goal.
“She was just so good with people,” said Linda and Jim.
“Amanda was totally focused on her work with children and studying to achieve her wishes in life.
“Her mantra was ‘I don’t do clean kids, I do happy kids’.
“Amanda was an old soul who was always trying to fix things for people to help them have the best life.
“She was loved enormously and knew that; she was told every day and shown it with fun and laughter, but she gave it back ten-fold.
“She touched so many hearts and will be missed so much.”
Amanda talked about marriage and having children in her thirties.
Enquiries into the cause of the crash are continuing. Police continue to appeal for witnesses.
Sergeant Sean Dempsey, road policing unit, said: “If anyone has dash-cam footage or information that may assist our investigation, please contact officers via 101, quoting incident number 1085 of Friday, 8 December 2023.”
“We have no idea what happened,” added her parents. “It’s just the unfairness of it all.”
“Whether it was the weather the road surface or someone making a mistake our loss is unbearable.
“Our thoughts are also with the family that was injured.”