Dave Walsh (known as Walshie), who has died of a kidney infection aged 73, was a prominent figure in Teesside politics for decades, including as the Labour leader of Redcar and Cleveland. Dave was known with respect and affection by many on Teesside. He wanted to create a better world and he was, in later life, an inspiration to many. I met Dave in the mid-1980s when I served as a councillor in Middlesbrough.
Born in Bexley, Kent, to Lilian and Thomas Walsh, not much is known of his early life, but his birth certificate reveals that his father was a “corrector of print”. After leaving school, he worked for British Rail as a yard shunter, before moving to Teesside where he was a crane driver for Cleveland Bridge & Engineering. Taking redundancy in the 80s, he then studied modern history as a mature student at Teesside Polytechnic.
