Tributes are paid to canal legend known as ‘Mr Mac’
He led efforts to preserve historic waterways
TRIBUTES have been paid to a legendary man who spearheaded efforts to restore historic canals for future generations to enjoy, leaving a shining legacy behind.
David A. McCarthy MBE, who worked on many canal restorations around the country, including in Stockport, died peacefully from frailty and hypertension at Lavender Hills Care Home, Ramsbottom on January 17.
David, who was affectionately known as ‘Mr Mac,’ passed away at the age of 99, just 40 days short of his 100th birthday.
He helped to restore the missing link of Cheshire canal ring, which linked Marple to Manchester, first working on the Peak Forest Canal in Marple.
As an active member of the Stockport Canal Society, he took part in their campaigning working parties.
David, who lived in Rawtenstall, was also a founder member of the Waterway Recovery Group Northwest (WRG NW) – a group who restore canals back to a navigable state.
The group celebrated its 50th birthday in 2020.
His son, Ian, said: “He had an exceptionally sharp memory right up until the end.
“Even if you hadn’t seen him for 20 years, he could remember in detail what you said then.
“He was a superb communicator and he was able to put people at ease.
“He was a real gentleman about it.”
Member of Waterway Recovery Group Northwest, Malcolm Bridge, said: “David was warm, friendly, encouraging and a great man to know.
“He was one of those guys that would tackle almost anything if he thought it needed doing.”
The beloved father-oftwo was a friendly and familiar face at canal restoration sites where he would pour refreshments and hand out broken biscuits for the volunteers from his famous blue VW camper van.
He also was well known for selling Uncle Joe’s mint balls at boat rallies.
David was involved with fundraising for the Peak Forest Canal Society and carried on in a similar role for Waterway Recovery Group North West, and pointed donors in the direction of restoration work if they were interested.
His contribution to the waterway movement was recognised in 1986 with the Inland Waterways Association’s premier award, the ‘Cyril Styring Trophy,’ and with an MBE for “Services to Canal Restoration and the Environment in the North West” in 2001.
He came up with the ingenious idea of a massive waste paper collection scheme called ‘The Paperchase.’
The scheme, which was launched in 1978, involved collecting people’s waste paper and then selling it to raise money.
Waste paper was sold to paper mills in Stubbins and Romiley and it was shipped out as far as China at one stage.
It became the primary source of income for Waterway Recovery Group Northwest and collections ultimately reached about 4,000 tonnes, making it a significant environmental project in its own right.
Volunteers also took the books out of the waste paper they had collected and decided to trial a second-hand bookstall, which became another environmentally friendly way to fundraise.
They continued collecting waste paper for more than 40 years and stopped in 2018 when the merchant could take no more paper.
It is impossible to accurately value David’s labours but as the waste paper collections raised more than £60,000, it is believed that the total must exceed £80,000 and might even reach £100,000.
Ian’s magical boyhood boat trip opened the door for father and son to enter the canal world.
David’s passion for canals sparked after Ian came back from a canal trip organised by his Sunday School when he was eight years old.
After the experience Ian would ask David to take the family on a canal holiday, which soon became an annual trip.
This led David to ponder over the sad prospect of national treasures such as historic canals decaying.
He began to think about what could be done to restore canals and nurture the environment around them so that future generations could enjoy them and the tranquillity canals offer.
Ian became a part of the restoration movement and a member of the Canal and River Trust Council.
In 1971, Ian helped to organise the ‘100 Boat Rally’ in central Manchester which was a campaigning effort to get the Ashton Canal reopened.
David and his late wife, Nancy, handed out tea at the event and David’s interest increased.
David and Nancy had a camper van which they would use to go to boat rallies and also to take their grandchildren on trips to the Dales, Blackpool, St Ann’s and Chester Zoo.
The much loved uncle was also interested in transportation and enjoyed learning about the subject by visiting various places of interest such as East Lancashire Railway, Manchester’s Science and Industry Museum, Bury Transport Museum and Astley Green Mining Museum.
David also loved roses and he was a member of the British Rose Society.
David will be dearly missed by his children Ian and Jane, granddaughter, Dorothy and her partner Jack, grandson Robert Stanway and wife Claire, his great grandsons Thomas, Isaac, Ira and Alfred and his friends in the canal and much wider world.