‘My wee hero saved my dad's life'

When Greg Galloway’s grandfather had a stroke and fell into a river while fishing, the fearless nine-year-old raced to the rescue

- SUSANNA GALTON

Fishing bait, hooks and rods… Yep, we’ve got them all ready, Grandpa!” beamed Greg Galloway, giving his grandfather the thumbs-up.

It was the first time the East Ayrshire school boy had been taken fishing by his beloved Grandpa John, and he couldn’t wait to get stuck in.

It was a regular Wednesday teatime in October 2018 and after finishing school, Greg, then nine, and his grandpa were driven to a local farm by Greg’s mum, Jennifer, to begin their adventure.

“My dad has always been a hands-on grandfather,” explains Jennifer, 35, who is a carer for her mum, Irene. “Mum and Dad have been happily married for 40 years and Dad is just fantastic with all children. As well as Greg, I’ve got an older son Adam, 14, and two daughters Bonnie, eight, and two-year-old Arya.

“Greg is the only one who showed any interest in fishing, though. So I was grateful to drop him and Dad at a local farm and waved them off as they happily trudged in their wellies across the fields towards the River Irvine.

“Dad fishes almost every day during the season and Greg felt like such a big boy being allowed to join him finally.”

Jennifer, who’s divorced, then headed back home to Galston, where her mum was looking after the other kids.

The fishermen were having a wonderful time. John knew all the best and most remote spots along the riverbank, and after an hour Greg was chuffed to bits to catch his first-ever salmon!

But as his grandpa was going to remove the fish off the hook, the joyous moment turned into a horror show when John, then 61, suddenly became very unwell.