John Beveridge, currently a Director of Waverley Steam Navigation (WSN), and previously Chairman of the Loch Lomond Steamship Company (LLSC) (owners of P S Maid of the Loch) and a member of our Council of Management for many years, has been recognised in the King’s Birthday Honours.

John Beveridge, 71, has been made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to paddle steamer preservation and charity.

Doulas McGowan MBE, President of the Society, said “I was absolutely delighted to hear the wonderful news of my good friend John Beveridge being awarded the MBE in the King’s Birthday Honours. This is a much deserved recognition for John, who really was the Maid of the Loch’s saviour back in the very early days of preservation. She was literally sinking at her berth at Balloch and the future looked very bleak. But John never lost the faith and belief that she could sail again. We all wish the current custodians of the Maid good luck in their goal of returning her to service. John was also involved in the early stages of Waverley’s preservation and her re-entry to service back in 1975. More recently, he has joined the Board of Waverley Steam Navigation Co. and is proactively campaigning for the re-opening of Helensburgh pier.
John Beveridge…..a complete preservationist, well done John!”

John enjoyed childhood trips on paddle steamers and his involvement in restoration projects dates back to the 1970s, firstly with P S Waverley and more recently with P S Maid of the Loch. In 1995 he was deeply involved in creating LLSC to take ownership of the Maid, when her future looked extremely uncertain. As Chairman (2018-2021), John led the successful £1.1 million refit, completed in October 2019, which saw the paddler’s engines steam for the first time in 38 years.

In his professional life, after a successful career in local government, John was appointed the first Director of the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency in 1995.

John’s main pre-occupation now is trying to get Helensburgh pier reopened, so the Waverley can call there once more.