Mr. Dick Shannon

GLOWING tributes have been paid to one of the district’s most high profile health campaigners who has died.

Dick Shannon MBE, a leading member of the Down Community Health Committee, passed away last Saturday at the King’s Castle Nursing Home in his home village of Ardglass.

Tributes to Mr. Shannon have been led by South Down MP Margaret Ritchie and Mr. Eamonn McGrady, chairman of the health committee, which the Ardglass man was closely associated with over several decades and served with distinction.

Miss Ritchie described the veteran health campaigner as a “true gentleman” and someone who was at the forefront of the drive to secure a new £64m hospital in Downpatrick.

The MP said she was “deeply saddened” to learn of Mr. Shannon’s passing and praised his efforts over many years to preserve a wide range of health and social services.

“Dick was a true gentleman and a fearless campaigner for the provision of a new Downe Hospital and the preservation and retention of a wide range of health services,” she continued.

“He was passionate and committed about the provision of locally accessible services at the point of delivery and he will be sadly missed. My thoughts are with his wife Anne and her daughters at this sad time.”

Mr. McGrady said the entire community owes an enormous debt of gratitude to Mr. Shannon whom he described as a “veteran and most effective health campaigner.”

He continued: “Dick was an eminently decent man, courteous and charming, who had an unsurpassed understanding of the healthcare needs of the community across our district.

“He gave selflessly of himself, serving a cause in which he passionately believed. Forthright and honest, he commanded great respect from all with whom he came into contact.”

Mr. McGrady said that without Dick Shannon and people like him, local health services would have been further emaciated by now. He said it’s certainly the case that, without Dick, the people of Down District would not have had a hospital offering the range of services now available in the Downe.

Mr. McGrady added: “Dick was a highly effective campaigner and his passing is a time of great sadness for the entire community, the Down Community Health Committee and myself. On behalf of the Committee, I extend our deepest sympathy to Dick’s wife Ann and his family, whom he loved greatly.”

South Down Assemblyman John McCallister, who worked closely with Mr. Shannon over the years, extended his sympathy to the hospital campaigner’s family and his many friends.

“Dick’s passing is a huge loss to Down District. I was very saddened to learn of his death as he was someone for whom I had the utmost respect. I was indeed very fond of him,” the MLA continued.

“Dick was always a pleasure to work with and be around. He was committed and fervently passionate about local hospital services. Dick was a man who meant what he said and over the years he probably sacrificed some of his own health in campaigning for the provision of health services for others.”

Ardglass councillor Dermot Curran described Mr. Shannon as a “leading advocate” of local health and social service provision and someone who was one of the key driving forces in the battle for a new Downe Hospital.

He added: “Dick was committed to the cause. His drive, energy and enthusiasm were infectious and he was a man who took people with him. His commitment to the people of this district will never be forgotten.”

Mr. Shannon’s funeral service was held yesterday morning in Ardglass Presbyterian Church before interment in the adjoining churchyard.

He is survived by his wife Anne and daughters Fiona, Ceara and Aine.