Malcolm ‘Mac’ MacGregor – a stalwart of Brightlingsea’s smack fishing community and a founder of the Colne Smack Preservation Society (CSPS) – has died at the age of 89.
He passed away peacefully in Colchester Hospital on the afternoon of Saturday, March 23 with his family by the bedside.
He was instrumental in establishing the annual Colne Smack and Barge match, which takes place every September. Having worked and latterly raced the Aldous-built George & Alice CK76, Mac was the go-to source of information for all things Essex smack, especially for anyone wanting to fish, restore or rig one.
Co-incidentally, the CSPS held its AGM on the day of Mac’s death. Member Paul Winter, owner of the smack Maria CK21, said: “Many of us owe Mac a great deal with all the advice he has given over the years, especially when it came to setting up a beam trawl or fitting a smack out for stowboating.”
He added: “Mac was one of those people always willing to help. He made most of the oyster dredges the Brightlingsea-based smacks currently use as well as probably the only set of stowboat gear in existence used for spratting every winter in the Colne and Blackwater.”
Mac started his working life as an apprentice shipwright, and moved onto fishing when he first purchased and worked the George and Alice. He also worked at Colchester oyster fishery for several years.
Having been caught in the catastrophic 1953 floods on Canvey Island, Mac was a tireless campaigner for flood prevention. He can be seen in the video below recounting how he and his family escaped.
In later life he worked with with an Essex University historical team recording audio tapes of local Essex history for its archives. Just a few weeks ago, he featured in an episode of Radio 3’s “The Essay” speaking about Essex smacks. The programme is still on BBC Sounds here.
Mac leaves a wife, Lillian, daughters Caroline and Alison, four grandchildren and nine great- grandchildren ranging in age from 13 to one.
A celebration of his life will be held at St James Church in Brightlingsea on Friday, April 26 at 11.45am.
