Peter ‘Duck’ McDonald who has sadly passed away
Those who knew him well have described him as “irreplaceable” following his death.
Mr McDonald was a well-known and respected member of the Galliagh and Leafair community.
Galliagh Community Centre say on its Facebook page: “On behalf of all the groups from Galliagh Community Centre we would like to send our condolences to the family and friends of Peter and to everyone involved in Leafair Community Association.
“A sad day for our Parish.”
Mr McDonald was the manager of Leafair Community Association in Derry and worked closely with Housing Executive staff over the past 30 years.
The community group has grown from humble beginnings in small garages to now having a 3G pitch, well-being centre, play park and allotments, thanks in large part to the tireless work of Mr McDonald.
Close friend and ex-Sinn Fein councillor Colly Kelly has known ‘Duck’ since he was a teenager.
He explained that Mr McDonald was diagnosed with cancer a number of months ago and passed away at the Foyle Hospice.
Mr Kelly described ‘Duck’ as a “great man”, a man born in the community who lived and worked for the betterment of people in the area.
“What he did was unheard of, he was old school,” he said, “It was community first at all times.
“First and foremost he was a real grassroots republican activist for his whole life.
“The one word you would use about Duck is ‘unique’, he was always there to serve his community, nothing was ever a bother to him.
“That’s how he’ll be remembered, as a person whose door was always open.
“Duck is irreplaceable. In the Greater Shantallow area, he really will be irreplaceable. He was a character in every way, a one-off. He’ll be missed by everybody.
“It is a testament to Duck that he leaves behind the Leafair well-being hub as his legacy.”
Mr McDonald worked closely with the Housing Executive over the years to help create the hub for Leafair Community group from old garages.
Two years ago he detailed its origins, saying: “It all began in garages that first belonged to the Housing Executive and they were built in the 70s.
“The idea was for people to park their cars but people back then couldn’t afford cars and so they were used as a depot for the Housing Executive maintenance team.
“They were used for a while and became derelict and a refurbishment scheme came into the area and people had to be moved out of their homes and this was used as storage for people’s furniture.”
Peter then asked Seamus Kelly, former Housing Executive West Manager to lease the garages as a community base and the group moved in around 1996.
“There was two shutters at the front and a light and I went back to Seamus and the running joke is that I asked for lighting and the Housing Executive came out with an electrician to fit a couple of lights and the whole place ended up getting rewired.
“That was really the beginning of the association and to this day we have a great working relationship with the Housing Executive,” he added.
Peter worked closely with tenants and was always on hand with his team to help sort any problems, the Housing Executive said.
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