David Rintoul was Mr Tollcross.
Sadly David died in May last year and now Tollcross Community Council are planting a tree which they will dedicate in his memory. As a previous Chair of the Community Council, this was only one part of his tireless work in the area which included support for the Short Hole Golf Club and promoting Tollcross at every turn.
In 2009 as a form of recognition he received the William Y Darling from the City of Edinburgh Council for his work.
The dedication ceremony will take place on Friday 25 May 2018 at 6pm. The tree planting will be at a location on Bruntsfield Links on Whitehouse Loan just off Bruntsfield Place.
Everyone is welcome and you are told to simply look for the crowd.
The group will then repair to the Golf Tavern to raise a glass to Mr Tollcross and give thanks for his community service.
The community council cannot find a photograph of David in their archives, and they have so far not been able to find anyone who can provide one. If you have a photo then we would be delighted to hear from you, and, with your permission, we will pass it on to the community council for their website.
Liz Summerfield shared her memories of David with us : ” David Rintoul was my good friend. I met him when I started attending Tollcross Community Council meetings in the 90s, which he chaired.
“He was involved in many local groups and activities, and was always willing to lend a hand to help make Tollcross life more pleasant. In later years, he got involved with computers, and volunteered with a third-sector organisation as webmaster, setting up and running their website. He also ran the Tollcross Times website, and tweeted as Mr Tollcross.
“Among his hobbies were photography and golf. He was captain of the Bruntsfield Links Short Hole Golf Club, and after resigning from the community council, spent a lot of his leisure time playing the game he was passionate about. I never managed to get him formally involved in the Meadows Festival, he said he was too busy, but he attended every year and took photos for us to use on our website.
“I really enjoyed his company. He was an entertaining companion to meet for a drink and a chat, full of interesting stories and willing to listen to your ptoblems, without having the usual male imperative of telling you how to solve them, when you know that already but just want to vent!
“Latterly, I didn’t see him very often – it was hard to get him to respond to voicemails, and his ansafone was usually full. I think he withdrew as his health deteriorated, and I’m sad that he didn’t share his troubles as willingly as he listened to those of others.
“I shall miss him a lot.”
Ann Wigglesworth also knew David Rintoul as the Chair of the Community Council. She explained : “He was really well known in the area as Mr Tollcross. He grew up in the area and worked hard for its improvement through his Tollcross website.”
A fellow member of the Golf Club said that David was an enthusiastic and active member of the Bruntsfield Short Hole Golf Club from 2003 until his eyesight failed in 2015. He was an able committee member and then latterly Club Captain. As a very keen competitor he has his name recorded on many of the club’s trophies.
He set up the club’s original website, linking it to his tollcross.org domain, and he continued to keep it going even after he had stopped playing. Following his sad passing his good groundwork has been continued on the club’s new website. He is still fondly remembered and sadly missed by all his many golfing friends.
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
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