Published: Thursday, 28th August, 2008 09:15
OAP believes Bankies can help find Maddie
By Julie Gilbert
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A PENSIONER is hoping he can inspire divine intervention in the case of Madeleine McCann — via an appeal in the Clydebank Post.
Robert Darroch, 75, has made several appeals in the Post’s letters page over the past 20-years asking readers to pray for people missing or being held captive.
And miraculously, or coincidentally, soon after publication there have been some very positive outcomes.
Remembering these past successes, Robert is now asking Bankies to spare a thought and a prayer for Madeleine in the hope the pattern continues.
Robert told the Post: “Over a period of four years in the late eighties and early nineties I regularly asked the people of Clydebank to spare a thought and a prayer for Terry Waite, held captive in Lebanon, and other captives in letters to the Post.
“Almost every time my letter was published the captives were freed.
“For example on February 21, 1991, I predicted, regarding hostages, that ‘the bumper harvest will come this year’ at a prayer meeting in St Stephen’s Church in Dalmuir.
“On August 8 I repeated the prediction in the Clydebank Post.
“Between August and December eight captives, including Terry Waite, were freed during harvest months.”
Robert believes strongly in the power of prayer and travels around churches in Britain praying and encouraging others to pray for good causes and for peace.
The Parkhall man said: “I go to different churches every Sunday. I’m a Catholic myself but I’ve been to two thousand two hundred churches covering fifty denominations in Scotland, England, Wales and Ireland. My record is attending seven services on the same day in Clydebank. I am trying to break down sectarian barriers.”
Robert has been travelling around churches sending out appeals for 27 years.
He has had similar success sending out appeals in newspapers in other parts of Britain.
He said: “In the early nineties I went to six services in Enniskillen in Northern Ireland and silently prayed for peace. The local newspaper interviewed me and I said I predict there will be movement towards peace before a year. That year the IRA called a ceasefire.
“There’s no halo above my head but there are times when I suspect that somebody up there either likes me or is getting me mixed up with somebody else.”
Readers will be very aware Robert’s hopes and prayers for Madeleine McCann have not been successful to date, and that is why he appealing in the Post. He said: “I want to see if the same thing happens as before. Since last September in as many as two or three churches every Sunday in different towns in Scotland I silently prayed that I be granted the finance to issue a world peace appeal and that Madeleine would be found but I have had no response.
“May I kindly ask the people of Clydebank to spare a thought and a prayer that Madeleine will be found.”
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Clydebank is murder central