Goodbye To A Friend

David Ramsay

As many readers of this blog might know before I was so heavily involved in Politics I was a long time member of Paisley Youth Theatre and as a member I met a lot of lovely people and made a number of close friends who are still friends to this day. Unfortunately recently we lost one of those friends and that loss is keenly felt by all who knew him.

David Ramsay until fairly recently was the Musical Director of PACE Theatre company and it was in this capacity that I came to know him and become his friend. I think myself lucky that I met David -although the first time I met him he had a parrot on his shoulder (long story don't ask)- he always had time for me and believed in me and my ability as a singer. David and his wife Pauline were probably more PACE for me than anything else, that is not to disparage the other excellent members of staff that PACE have, but I spent a lot of time hiding behind my big sister trying to be the third spear carrier from the left, and David or DR as we affectionately called him would not allow this and although he did not push you to the front he fostered your talent and helped you believe in yourself.

I will miss DR because he was and is my friend, I cannot begin to describe what he meant to me and I am not going to try, instead I am going to leave a memory in the hope that all of you reading this who knew him will similarly leave a comment with a funny/nice memory of your own. We have had to say goodbye to DR but we do not and will not forget him, to so many us he will never be forgotten he sneaked in and made a DR shape in your life so unassuming and quiet but always there if you needed him. David leaves behind his wife Pauline and two young sons as well as his mother and brother and extended family all of whom will miss him.

Recording the song for 'Cuts Both Ways' in the PACE office downstairs, we had been rehearsing for about five minutes when the workmen outside the office window started with the pneumatic drill and they continued for about half an hour in between bursts we tried to lay down the track and we would get almost all the way through and the drill would start again, after about an hour and a half of this DR says wait here a minute. Five minutes later he comes back in the room and says right we have ten minutes lets go! DR had went outside and convinced the workmen to stop for ten minutes so that we could record the track. And I must admit to being suitably impressed with the results, it's true what they say you can do wonders in post production.