Donald Alexander, known as Donald Alick, was born in 1909, the son of Donald MacKillop and Catherine MacKillop of 11 Borve. He was a pupil at Berneray School between 1915 and 1923. 

Following the death of his mother, his father remarried. His father died in 1925, and Donald Alick supported his father’s second wife and young sons by fishing, hunting and working on his uncle’s croft. He had inherited his father's fishing boat, the Lion. Unable to find sufficient work on Berneray, he made the difficult decision to emigrate to Canada, where he settled in Vancouver. He married Alexandra Bella Gillies, daughter of Angus Gillies of 14 Lionel. Together he and Alexandra had two children.