An appreciation by Robert Cullen
I will start by offering a few words to describe Ray's character: loyal, conscientious, meticulous, and assiduous. Ray was a man of strong convictions, possessing a fine intellect and a wonderful memory.
Ray never married and has no family and for the whole time I knew him lived alone in his modest bungalow in Beeston. He was fortunate to have a local friend, Hetley Tolson, whom I would like to thank of behalf of the Nottingham Civic Society for he was a true friend in need. I would like to think his family became the organisations he served.
He never drove and always walked, cycled and travelled by public transport. He would perhaps rather grudgingly accept a lift, but in fact rather enjoyed being driven home after meetings, I remember Andrew Hamilton and the late John Severn often obliged when they were Chairman and Ray was Secretary.
He served many Chairmen: Maurice Barley, Andrew Hamilton, John Severn, Rita Cooper and myself. But how did it all start?
Ray retired in the mid 1970s and at that time was serving on the bench with Diana Barley who persuaded him to participate and Maurice quickly clinched the deal. Ray joined the Society's Executive Committee and was soon, in his own words, the 'Keeper of the Archives'. In 1983 he became the Society's secretary.
Of course before that Ray had a long history of service. As a socialist he was Chairman of the Beeston and District Council and Chairman of their Planning committee in the early 1960s. His interest in planning found full expression when he became Chairman of the Housing and Town Planning Council in 1971-72. He continued to serve the H.T.P.C. until 6 years ago and was secretary of the East Midlands branch working with Sue Reed for 22 years. I think he got the most pleasure from organising the annual conference at Kelham Hall, Newark where he assembled groups of excellent speakers and enjoyed being kept up to date on planning and housing issues. Ray was always well informed and up to date in his subject.
Ray of course was doing two voluntary jobs as secretary: H&TPC in the East Midlands and the Nottingham Civic Society. Not only was he the secretary of the Executive Committee, but he also serviced the Environment Committee, the Castle Excavation Committee, the Gate House Shop, and any other add hoc committees set up for a particular purpose like the Nottingham & Beeston Canal Committee. In addition he arranged the Society's programme of visits and lectures and saw that the programme card was available when required. I think his work on the Canal Committee was one he enjoyed most. It is largely due to Ray that the canal path was opened up and the potential of the canal realised. For him it represented a symbolic link between Nottingham and Beeston where he was active in both communities. He was, inevitably, a member of Beeston Civic Society.
Today, I might add, it takes seven of us to adopt the burden of work Ray undertook. He was able to undertake this volume of work because of his qualities, particularly his conscientiousness and his meticulous minutes. Every minute was numbered and cross-referenced in the best academic tradition he learnt as a trained chemist.
For years Ray used a manual typewriter with the E and the h slightly defective, and printed everything on a Ronoe machine. It took us a very long time to persuade him to change them.
Ray was a man of simple tastes and modest culinary ambition. He was happy with half a pint or a sherry and a kipper; a packet of "Walkers" was a luxury.
His fantastic memory would suddenly find expression by reciting a passage from Gilbert and Sullivan, always to the point, apposite, always illuminating and fun. His puns sometimes went unnoticed but without question he certainly enjoyed them.
So Ray's gift to us all was his unstinting service to the community and I am sure that his message to us all would be to continue that service to help fulfil the aims of the Society, thereby helping to make life for everyone just that little bit better.
Footnote:
Bob delivered this appreciation at the funeral service for Ray held at Bramcote
Crematorium on Tuesday 2nd July. Canon Bryan Barrodale, Vicar of Beeston,
gave a brief biographical sketch. This was followed by two verses written
by W.S. Gilbert. Tom Huggon read The Tangled Skein, and Rita Cooper read Proper
Pride.
The G&S favourite "For he was an Englishman" from HMS Pinafore was chosen as Ray's farewell, most appropriate for the Chairman of the Nottingham Gilbert & Sullivan Society until it was disbanded.
In an interview Rita Cooper remembered Ray's qualities. "He was an incredibly dedicated person and devoted his time to public service. In the Civic Society he will be remembered as being most meticulous and conscientious. He organised fabulous visits for members. Everyone enjoyed every moment because it was all so well planned."
For the record Ray was brought up in Hull. After graduating from Oxford University he had a brief spell in the confectionary industry before coming to Nottingham and taking up a post as a research chemist with the Boots Company.