Dowpy Dan

[Loch not Lock]

It is sad that "Dowpy Dan" passed away a few years ago. The plethora of half smoked cigarettes outside pubs would have been Eldorada for him.
He was a great character. RIP Dan.

[justine]

Consolations given, but who is dowpy dan..Never heard of him

[chaz]

He was a character, and would have had a field day:)

[Loch not Lock]

He was a very intelligent man who lived like a vagrant and walked the streets all day long picking up "dowps".
A fine fellow despite his odd lifestyle.

[Penelope Pitstop]

He was a very intelligent man who lived like a vagrant and walked the streets all day long picking up "dowps".
A fine fellow despite his odd lifestyle.

Although he looked like a tramp, he did have a house in Rose Street, Thurso.

[justine]

Thanks for the pm Loch not lock,,sounds like a fun guy, what he lost with his habits he made up with everything a man i supposed to be....

[skimeister]

I remember seeing him waddling round town picking up "dowps" and sitting for hrs in St Johns Square watching the days go by.

He was always a reminder of how peacefull and laid back Thurso is, and is buried near to my dad

[Tilter]

Dowpy Dan is the first person I met and spoke to when I came to Thurso in 1989. The bus dumped us late one night in St John's square (I think the train had broken down.)

[teddybear1873]

He would yarn with a male no problem but wasnt keen on the females for some reason. My dad used to natter with him when he lived at Brims, soon as my mam came oot he would take off. I always found him a fine soul. Never did anyone any harm at all.

[Fran]

He used to be a teacher, a very intelligent man, always spoke to me.

[gollach]

Another thread about him

http://forum.caithness.org/showthread.php?t=33595

[justine]

can i say well done to you all..It is amazing to see how many friends he had and probably did not realise it...

[unicorn]

He was a fine soul and well respected by the youngsters.

[Boozeburglar]

He was mocked and teased by my peers, relentlessly.

I remember seeing his on the road as far South West as Oban, he certainly got through those gym shoes he wore.

When I was in primary school I am certain we were told he was once a miner.

Even remember old photographs featuring him dressed as such.

He once scared the life out of an old girlfriend of mine on the beach.

Lots of memories.

[bonami]

A man I had forgotten about until seeing him mentioned on here.I remember waiting for a bus to Wick many years ago across from the picture house on asking him when the bus went to Wick he said there was one every 5 mins remeber thinking 5 minutes was a long time in Thurso.Anyone know when and where he died.

[balto]

i remeber seeing him wandering about the streets of thurso and sitting in sir georges square, i had just moved to thurso then so dont really know much about him.

[thebigman]

It must be coming on for 10 years now since he died.

He used to walk for miles out the coast road then back in along the Janetstown road.

[webmannie]

Seem to remember an`incident` with a female at the beach and he ended up doing time, anybody remember that?

[Invader]

I remember as kids a few of us used to go climbing the cliffs out past the North baths.
One day we lit a driftwood fire in the old brick look out thing, and cooked sausages.
Dan came along and talked to us all afternoon, shared our food and it wasn't until we were leaving that we realised that he was actually living in there, and we had burned half his stuff!
We didn't feel threatened by him at all, and he had loads of stories.
The thing I remember is my mate giving him a cigarette, (Bought as singles in the John o' Groats cafe in Hiigh St.) and he ripped it up and made half a dozen rollies using a Woolies paper bag!

[Rheghead]

Seem to remember an`incident` with a female at the beach and he ended up doing time, anybody remember that?

I heard that too, but it was before my time here.

[rob16d]

Anyone got any pics? Would help to visualise him!

[Loch not Lock]

I was talking to someone who knew "Dowpy Dan" and he filled me in on his rather tragic life story.
He and his brother were brought up in a farm out Forss way. His father was very religeous and when he came in on a Saturday evening he found them listening to Scottish dance music on the wireless. As this was completely against his faith he banished both brothers to live in the barn. They were teenagers at the time and never entered the house again. A few years later Dan got a job working on a farm for an elderly widowed lady. He did a great job and ran the whole place on his own for several years. The lady said that the farm would be his when she died and he faithfully worked 7 days a week from dawn to dusk.
She then met a man and remarried and poor Dan got nothing for his years of loyalty. This is what made him go off the rails. Who can blame him?
His brother was the drummer in Bill John's Band and Dan himself had a great love of music.
One Saturday night Bill John's was playing in the dancehall that used to be the auction rooms (near Dunnet's garage) and Dan came along and asked at the door if he could come in for 2 minutes to have a word with his brother. The doorman refused and when Dan tried to push past him the doorman hit him on the jaw and broke his hand - it had no effect on Dan. Minutes later the police turned up and tried to move him along with no success. Dan did not retaliate in any way but they could not handcuff him. Eventually 6 policemen arrived and as they could not get him in the Black Maria they tried to drag him on foot to police station. They got him as far as opposite what is now Skinandis when he managed to grab hold of a lampost and the six bobbies could not get him to budge until one of them took a truncheon to his fingers and an hour later he was locked up. At no time was Dan aggressive, he just refused to move as he had done nothing wrong. Part 2 continues.

[Loch not Lock]

Once when Dan was working away his brother put new glass in all windows of his Rose Street house but as soon as he returned he pulled them all out and put up the plastic sheeting again. He truely was thrawn.
A few forumites have questioned about an incident with a girl on the beech. This was something and nothing as he merely spoke to her and she was frightened by his appearance she ran away shouting. The police questioned him but found that nothing untoward had happened.
He had tremendous strength and one day 4 railway workers were struggling to erect the side of a shed - Dan came along and lifted it single handed.
This is true because one of those railwaymen is the person who told me Dowpy Dan's life story.

[Loch not Lock]

Cue for the song "Stand By Your Dan":)

[crashbandicoot1979]

Thanks for the background, loch not lock. I remember Dowpy Dan from when I was a bairn and its interesting to hear a bit more about him. I was always a wee bit wary of him, although he never said or did anything untoward, he was just so big and rough looking! I didn't realise until years later that he actually had a house, I had always assumed that he lived on the streets.

[EDDIE]

I always used to remember him when i was young worked in the bus garage u would look round and see him raking in the buckets and then look around again and he was gone u never heard him comming and going but i never ever recall hearing of him bothering anybody i think he just kept himself to himself i heard that rumour as well that he got cheated out a will but do not for sure.Well im 37 and can remember him being the local tramp for as long as i can ever remember he always weared the exact same clothes its a shame on how things turn out for some people

[lagertops]

Dan has a seat named after him in Olrig street!He's a dunlop green flash legend.The streets were a safer place at night when the big man was about.

RIP

[Sporran]

I remember Dowpy Dan from the days when I lived in Thurso. He was perfectly harmless, but a bit scary to look at. He was a big, swarthy man with dark, unkempt hair and beard, and he always wore a sort of rusty coloured coat, tied at the waist with rope. When I was a teenager, sometimes I'd see him walking along West Church, as I was either walking into or from town. Even though it was broad daylight, and I knew he was harmless, I'd usually cross over to the other side of the street before we passed each other. Pure paranoia on my part, really! But he would always give a polite nod as we passed, even if we were on opposite sides of the street. He was a gentle giant, and in my heart I felt sorry for him, truth to be told.

[Green_not_greed]

Thanks Loch not Lock for the stories. I remember him well walking around the streets of Thurso and also along the road from Thurso to Halkirk and the back road to Reay. As far as I remember he was a well-meaning harmless soul who always had time for a few words to someone walking the other way (sometimes me!).

When he died (was it really 10 years ago?) we lost a real character. We could do with a few more.

[webmannie]

My recollection is that he 'did time' for the 'girl incident'

[Boozeburglar]

Many times our minds met over Pimms and canapés at various society functions.