Herbert (Herbie) Burns
Warmly known as Herbie, he joined the YMCA as a young man in 1955 and enjoyed playing hockey. As his passion for the organisation deepened, he later became a member of the management committee.
Herbie played a major part in the Londonderry YMCA, being Chairperson from 1966 to 1983 and the President from 1983 to 1985. He is remembered for the role he played in keeping the YMCA active in the 1970s when the East Wall building fell into disuse. His greatest achievement was managing the development of the new facility at Drumahoe.
Walter Wray
Walter Wray was a member of the organisation since the 1920s when he played with the hockey team. After the war, Walter returned to the organisation as a member of the management committee and was Chairman from 1948 to 1949.
Walter was President of the association from 1980 to 1983 at the time of the Drumahoe venture. He presided over the cutting of the sod ceremony for the new building in Drumahoe in 1983 and has been recorded as the man largely responsible for instigating all the good work that has happened at Drumahoe.
Sam Starrett
Sam was a well-known figure from Drumahoe who served as General Secretary in 1992. A widely admired playwright, Sam wrote many plays for the organisation, including the Cinderella pantomime, and most famously premiered his production “Home for Christmas” at the YMCA in 1997.
Sam was instrumental in ensuring that the legacy of the organisation was recorded in the history book, “A History of The Londonderry YMCA, 1856-2000”. He was also involved in the creation of the Maiden City board game, organising the Shamrock and Thistle Festival and coordinating the cross community School of Sports programme.
William (Willie) Lamrock
Willie devoted over 40 years of his life to Londonderry YMCA. He started as a volunteer member in 1979 and then joined the board in 1981. Willie had many passions in life, one of which was his love of rugby. In 1982, he started the YMCA Rugby Club, where he played and coached, co-coordinating chaos both on and off the pitch, until the floods in 2017.
Willie was Vice Chair in 1987, and then served as Chairman from 1988 to 2000. In 2001, he took up the temporary, 3 month position of General Secretary, where he remained for the next 20 years. During his time as General Secretary, he secured millions of pounds of funding for the YMCA and the local community. He spearheaded the renovation of the original building and the construction of the family and community hub. Willie created an organisation which now provides employment to over 40 staff and a safe space for countless young people to grow and flourish.
Londonderry YMCA Heritage is made possible with The National Lottery Heritage Fund, thanks to National Lottery players.
Preserving Our Past, Inspiring Our Future © 2026 by Londonderry YMCA is licensed under CC BY 4.0
