Family pay tribute to fisherman

The family of one of the men who died during a fishing trip in Gorebridge have today paid tribute to him.

David Archibald (59) from Dalkeith was with his friend Andrew Conlon (56) at the Gladhouse Reservoir on Sunday 9 September. The men’s families alerted police when they failed to return home and a major search was launched.

Their bodies were recovered from the water in the early hours of Monday 10 September.

In a statement released via Lothian and Borders Police, David’s wife Heather said:

“For more than 35-years David was a devoted and loving husband and father. He was always there for his family and friends and you would struggle to find anyone with a bad word to say about him. When not working as a technician at the University of Edinburgh, David would often indulge his passion for fishing, regularly heading out with his friends on their various excursions.
“He also loved communicating with his friends and colleagues within the scientific community across the world regarding his interest in alternative energy sources. His death has left a massive hole in the lives of all of those who knew and loved him and we must now come to terms with the full extent of our grief.

“We are immensely grateful for the kind words of support the local community has already offered us and we now ask to be allowed to mourn for David in private.”

The family of Andrew Conlon do not wish to provide an image or statement.