Sad loss: John McDonald and Dave Campbell (with thanks to Bobby Gavin and Terry O’Hare)
John McDonald – Central AC and scottishathletics Honorary Life Member
All within the athletics community in Scotland have been deeply saddened to hear of the passing of John McDonald.
The Central AC stalwart had a lifetime in the sport as athlete, coach, administrator and employee of the governing body.
John’s son Jamie works with us a National Club Manager and recently marked 20 years in development roles. Like father, like son.
We send our heartfelt sympathies to the McDonald family; everyone at Central AC; and all in the athletics family who knew John.
Like so many, after competing himself as an athlete, John took his two sons to the local club and thus began a huge contribution to Central AC.
He was a pillar of club activity and served two full terms as Club President and stepped into virtually every committee role over a quarter-century—including President, Secretary, Team Manager, Press Officer and Event Organiser.
Beyond his voluntary work, he worked as a central member of the scottishathletics administration team for over 14 years before retiring from the role in 2014.
In September 2015, he was awarded an Honorary Life Membership by scottishathletics at their AGM in Glasgow, recognising his long commitment as a volunteer.
The McDonald family are grateful for the overwhelming kind messages and support. The family are planning a private family funeral for John.
John lands HLM – Central AC website (2015)
John at our Awards in 2015 with Sir Menzies Campbell (photo by Bobby Gavin)
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Dave Campbell OBE, Edinburgh AC
Funeral details: Wednesday 7 October at 10am in the Main Chapel at Mortonhall Crematorium, Edinburgh.
A reception will follow at Kings Acre Golf Course.
Edinburgh AC and the wider sport are mourning the loss of renowned coach Dave Campbell, OBE.
Dave had a long and significant career in athletics in Scotland and in particular coached Olympians Chris O’Hare and Josh Kerr in their formative years.
Both Chris and Josh have spoken of his influence prior to their moves from Edinburgh to the United States.
In a lovely tribute piece on the EAC website, Terry O’Hare spoke about Dave’s dedication and approach to coaching.
‘Commitment was an unwritten rule. Punctuality, hard work and dedication were simply part of the group ethic. Dave established that culture by example. He was there, week after week and year after year, and his athletes responded in the same way.
‘Dave was never a demanding coach in the conventional sense. He worked with his athletes. They understood that the hard work was for their own benefit and trusted the man guiding them.
‘In all the years I worked alongside him, I never once heard Dave speak an angry word to an athlete. He did not need to raise his voice to command respect. His authority came from the relationships he built, the confidence his athletes had in him and the example he set himself.
‘Dave’s results spoke for themselves. He had nothing to prove.
‘He was conscious that people looking in from outside might sometimes think his athletes worked too hard. Having worked alongside him for many years, I never believed that to be the case. Dave knew his athletes, understood what they were capable of and knew why every session was there.’
Read the full tribute from Terry to Dave on the EAC website here
Photo via Terry O’Hare
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Tags:
Central AC, Dave Campbell, Edinburgh AC, John McDonald