Dave Prebble

[Pete Dickey]

As many of you know, Dave Prebble has been seriously ill since Christmas with gall-bladder/pancreas problems. Tomorrow (Monday) all being well he will be having an operation which hopefully should set him on the road to recovery.

 

Perhaps a little thought or prayer in his direction wouldn't do any harm.

 

Fingers crossed for a speedy recovery.

 

Pete

[Chris Timson]

I'll go with that. Dave's a good lad! Thanks for passing on the info, Pete.

 

Chris

[Mark Davies]

I went to see him last night and he's in good form.I took him a lot of CD's to listen to and a concertina I'd just bought for him to have a look at.He's not touched a concertina since Boxing Day but is looking forward to the Summers activities.

[Alan Day]

A lovely guy and a good friend.

Dave and I did the session at Bradfield last August and we had a great night.

Get well soon Dave and lets have a few more.

Al

[Stephen Chambers]

He's ... looking forward to the Summers activities.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Well tell him there'll be a pint waiting for him in Crotty's if he makes it to Kilrush this year (but no Marstons, more's the pity !), we missed meeting in Miltown, and he didn't make it to Kilrush last year.

 

Get well soon Dave !

[Helen]

My thoughts and prayers are with you too, Dave.

 

Although I don't know you, I feel that i do.

 

Helen

[Pete Dickey]

Called in to see Dave tonight.

 

The operation yesterday apparently went very well and he came round feeling not too bad. His own words "I've had worse hangovers" help to describe it. The permanent damage is apparently less than was feared, so with a bit of luck he is on the road to recovery although it is likely to take 12 weeks or so.

 

I passed on all the messages to him and he is very grateful for the goodwill from everyone. Stephen, I understand he is aiming to be fit for the Mrs Crotty w/e so the offer of a beer is likely to be a good incentive as he needs the calories, losing 8 stones in 5 months is no joke.

 

Will keep you posted if any significant developments.

 

Pete

[Alan Day]

Great news Pete and thanks for the update.

As for the eight stone loss, for you people who do not know Dave, will be pleased to know that he still has a few stone left and will still be the gentle giant and great character we all greatly admire.

Put me down for another pint Dave it will be a pleasure to buy it for you.

Al

[des tracey]

Those of you who are in touch with Dave might pass on my best wishes. I met Dave in Milltown last year and was in the Old Fogies concertina class with him.

Good guy...get well soon.

 

Des Tracey

[Mark Davies]

I have been a member of the "old fogies"concertina class at The Willie Clancy Summer School for the last six years and hope to join them again this year.It is my proud boast that I have managed to avoid being graded by" the Senior Concertina Teacher" for each of those six years. which is one of the qualifications for entry to the "OF"Class.We can usually be found hiding on Monday morning in the vicinity of the school,listening to 6 and 7 year olds playing complex reels in difficult keys.We try our best to learn but the "craic"takes priority.

 

PS.If anyone wants a lift to Milltown Mallbay for the Willie Clancy Summer School from England I will be taking the ferry from Holyhead to Dunleary on Monday 4th July and returning by the same route on Sunday 10th July.The only cost involved would be the additional passenger fare on the Ferry,which is about £24.

Mark Davies

Home:0114 2851479

Mobile:07850475067

Email:edeophone@aol.com

[Roger Digby]

Good news indeed. Dave is one of life's incurable enthusiasts! Thankfully it looks like only his enthusiasm is incurable.

I think that if anybody is ever going to get anything 'out' of Fred Kilroy's recordings Dave is the man most likely to do it. I certainly see him as the guv'nor in that area.

Best wishes for a full recovery.

Roger

[Pete Dickey]

Hi All

Just a bit of an update.

 

Called into the hospital to visit Dave today and would report that he is now quite mobile, pain easing gradually and dependance on painkillers lessening. Hoping to be released on Wednesday or Thursday and looking forward to getting stitches and staples out as well as his first pint of beer since Boxing Day.

 

As he hasn't touched a concertina since the end of December it's going to take him a while to get back into the swing of it but he says his fingers are now itching to play again. Mark Davies has been doing a stirling job in supplying CD's full of music to stop him forgetting what it's all about.

 

Pete

[Helen]

Thanks for the update, Pete.

 

Send along my wishes for a speedy recovery. And tell him Al will buy him a pint for me. Please, Al. I'll pay you back.

 

Edited April 12, 2005 by Helen

[Greg Jowaisas]

I went back and reviewed some posts that Dave Prebble had made. At a time when i was beginning my incredible concertina journey Dave took the trouble and patience to reply to a neophyte's desperate questions. His answers were thorough and and thoughtful. His advice on glues and reversablity guide my approach to repair and restoration today. Thank you, Dave.

 

Here is to a speedy recovery, and I hope the doctors didn't use LHG on you!

 

Regards,

 

Greg

[Dave Prebble]

Hello to everyone, glad and relieved to be back !

 

I’m Pleased to say that surgery seems to have been successful and I am now back home feeling suitably ‘gutted’ but improving fast.

 

I’ve lost so much weight I have to keep grabbing the furniture to stop myself from floating away – no bad thing that as I weighed as much as Pavarotti before I got ill so as Alan suggested there is still a sylphlike 17 stone of the old me left.

 

My deepest thanks for all your prayers, kind thoughts and messages – I am both touched and not a little embarrassed by all the fuss – starting this thread will cost Pete Dickey a pint or two I can assure you!

 

On a practical note, I fully intend to take you all up on the free ale offers at the earliest possible opportunity - well, I did say I was getting back to normal !

 

I had expected to have to be ‘teetotal’ for life after my illness but I have just had the sterling news from my surgeon that, since my pancreatitus was not caused by degeneration from alcohol (now how ever did I get away with that ??) but in fact the pancreas burst due to a ‘mechanical cause' – a gallstone blockage, I can go back on the ‘pop’ as soon as I feel well enough ….. Oh! Happy news indeed!!

 

Definitely back on the mend now and playing my concertina for short periods albeit with a peculiar vibrato effect to every tune – now why can’t I do that when I want to ??

 

Could take quite a while to get up to strength, probably months rather than weeks. At the moment I couldn’t rip my way out of a wet paper bag; still…one step at a time…..

 

I really hope to get over to Mrs Crotty’s if well enough but the rush and bustle of Willie Clancy Week will have to wait another year I fear.

 

Wherever and whenever, I really look forward to once more being in your company, catching up and knocking out a few of the 'good old tunes' – the sooner the better.

 

I will write to you all as I dig my way through 14 weeks worth of emails !!

 

Special thanks to Pete Dickey and Mark Davies who both came to see me in hospital regularly, kept me up with all the gossip and supplied with plenty of concertina music to spur me on.

 

What Pete is too gallant to mention is that, when I collapsed at the session on boxing day, it was he who realised how serious things were, ‘scooped me up’ and whisked me off to hospital, in the nick of time I might add. Any longer and I would not have been sat here typing this.

 

My heartfelt thanks to Pete, Mark and to you all.

 

Dave

[Helen]

Hey Dave,

 

What a wonderful post! So glad that you are doing better. See those prayers worked, you can still drink!

 

Will keep up the prayers. Might even spur you on to dancing.

 

Oh yeah, one step at a time.

 

Keep us posted.

 

This is so great. You've made my day. Possibly even my week.

 

Good luck to you.

 

Helen

 

[Chris Timson]

Good luck to you.

I'll drink to that (and so, I'm sure, will Dave)

 

Chris

[Dave Prebble]

 

"Will keep up the prayers. Might even spur you on to dancing."

 

Hi Helen & Chris,

 

Thanks guys.

 

It would only be one step at a time as I dance like a one legged Hippo - much prefer playing for others to dance to - sessions are great but that's what really lights my fire

 

Onwards and upwards

 

Dave