A fundraising night in memory of Alexandria football legend - and Dumbarton landlord - Drew Busby has raised more than £4000 for the oncology unit at the Vale Hospital.
Busby - nicknamed Buzzbomb - was regarded as one of the greatest players ever to wear the maroon of Hearts, the navy of Vale of Leven and the diamond of Airdrie. After hanging up his boots, Drew became landlord of The Waverley in West Bridgend which he ran for 40 years.
He passed away in July of last year at the age of 74.
Last month, the Busby family announced that they would be putting The Waverley on the market, with Drew’s friends, family and loyal punters coming together in his memory to raise funds for a cause close to his heart.
One of the organisers, Paul Currie, explained the idea behind the fundraising bash.
He said: “As we, the locals in The Waverley, realised that the lease for the pub was coming to an end, and the link to the Busby family was soon to become no more, we wanted to have a wee night to celebrate the memory of the man; so we set about doing just that.
“We had no idea so many people would get involved, but it was truly overwhelming and humbling to see so many people engage with what we were trying to.
“It was a reflection of the impact the man made on so many lives, and the esteem with which so many of us held him.
“We also aimed to raise a couple of bob for charity, and given that Drew liked to keep it local, his friend and compatriot in the pub for the same number of years, Maria McGhee, suggested the Oncology Unit at the Vale of Leven Hospital.”
The group arranged for a local group of musicians to play, most of whom had played at some point in the pub over the years.
They contacted a range of organisations for donations, including Celtic, Rangers, Hearts, Dumbarton FC and got a number of donations from local organisations, in particular the Grill on the Bridge and Rigo’s, who both did an online ‘bonus-ball-style raffle.
The Framing Workshop did the honours with a signed shirt from four-time World Snooker Champion, John Higgins, who was contacted by local ex-professional Marcus Campbell, who is a regular in the pub. Marcus himself also donated to the event
Everybody who came along on the night wore the maroon of Drew’s beloved Hearts - with two of the barmaids getting t-shirts especially printed for the event.
There was also a raffle, auction and Drew’s daughter Gayle, who lives in Australia, opened a Go Fund page.
And Paul believed the event was a fitting tribute to Drew, who was loved throughout the area for being a pillar of the community.
He added: “At our last count, we had raised just over £4,500, with possibly more to come in.
“We also had a few donations left which we passed to Gerry for future events.
“It was such an amazing atmosphere on the night, everybody contributed to a night Drew would have been raging he missed!
“We even had regulars helping behind the bar as it was so busy; ages ranged almost from 18 to 80.”
