Fred Dibner Yorkshire Man!

Its two years since we were last on the Coventry canal. That time is engrained in my mind and will be remembered by us for a long time to come. We were stopped dead in our tracks by damage to the propeller which required Rosie being taken out of the water to effect a repair.  

You can read the full story here. Click Here: We will soon be going past Charity Wharf again which will be a reminder of that fateful day.

Charity wharf would be a place where Fred Dibner would be in his element. Fred was a National Treasure who loved old machinery and respected the engineers for their knowledge and skills. 

Fred was no stranger to the waterways and became something of an icon of the quirky, quintessential, flat capped, rule of thumb, no nonsense northerner. His one fall from grace being that he did not come from Yorkshire. 

It has to be said that as ever, the Yorkshire folk  never held that shortcoming against him.  In fact Fred was awarded not only honorary doctorate degrees we also awarded him honorary Yorkshire status. That simple fact alone is measure of the character of the much loved man.

Its ten years since Fred passed away and yet his name and his charismatic lifestyle as demonstrated on television reruns, lives on.  When we go past Charity Wharf, I shall think of Fred because in all the places on the canal. Charity Wharf is where Fred would have been in his element.