13th February 1934 – 28th June 2009

Ian was born and grew up in the Bedfordshire village of Houghton Regis, one of seven children. He joined the choir at All Saints’ parish church and later followed his older brother, Dennis, into the tower. He served an apprenticeship as a carpenter and joiner before spending his two years of National Service as a radio operator in Germany. Returning to his native Houghton Regis, he met and married Hazel, who already had a 12-year-old daughter, Jackie, from an earlier marriage. Ian was a devoted family man, treating Jackie as his own daughter, indeed it was only a chance remark by Hazel at a ringing meeting many years later that revealed her earlier history.

Ian emigrated to Zambia with his family in 1970, intending to serve a three-year contract on the copper mines there and then return to England with sufficient money to buy a house. However, they obviously appreciated the African climate and lifestyle, moving south to the then Salisbury in Rhodesia, where Jackie was at boarding school, and resuming his ringing career at the cathedral in that city. The deteriorating economic situation in Zimbabwe led to a further southward move in 1984, to Johannesburg in South Africa, where Ian found employment with one of the major banks, managing building alterations and other small projects. He remained in Johannesburg after retirement, living quietly in his suburban home with his beloved Hazel, Jackie having by then married and emigrated to the United States. Sadly, Hazel died in 2002 and life was never quite the same for him. He was active and in good health, working up in the tower at All Saints’, Fourways Gardens, only two days before his death, which came peacefully in his sleep.

Ian first became a member of the Transvaal Society during his time in Harare, having been elected prior to a peal attempt. He transferred to resident membership when he moved to Johannesburg in 1984 and joined the band at St. George’s, Parktown. He took over as Ringing Master of the TSCBR in late 1995, in an acting capacity, before being formally elected to the post at the AGM in 1996, and continued in that office until his death. A modest and private man, we have not yet uncovered a record of his ringing achievements but he rang in many of the "First in Africa" peals at Parktown during the 80s and 90s, notably most of the ‘standard 8’ Surprise Major methods. His older brother, Dennis, was a noted peal-ringer and composer in his day – four of his compositions of Surprise Major feature in the Central Council’s online collection – and Ian had much of the same ability. I personally never came across a method he hadn’t rung before, and couldn’t recall in detail, and he was always ready to advise on suitable callings for quarter peals. He also arranged and called the date touch of 2000 changes of Plain and Little Bob Minor that we rang at Parktown on January 1st of that year. Ian was also a practical man and undertook much of the routine maintenance at Parktown, splicing ropes and replacing broken stays for example. A lasting legacy will be the suspended floor to his design that was installed below the bell frame in 2001, making maintenance work much easier and safer.

A further legacy to Ian’s name is the light ring of six installed at the new church of All Saints, Fourways Gardens over the past couple of years. The frame and tenor bell were erected by Grahamstown Engineering but the remaining five bells were all hung by Ian and his small band of helpers. At the time of his death, he was busy with a programme of alterations and adjustments to make the bells easier to ring, and was also teaching a number of the parishioners to ring.

The bells at Parktown were rung half-muffled prior to his funeral on July 9th, which was conducted by Gerard Sharp, a former Rector of St. George’s and now Dean of Johannesburg. Gerard had previously officiated at Hazel’s funeral service, and he spoke movingly and at first hand of the obvious love that Ian had for his family. Jackie and her husband Andrew had flown over from the United States, and Ian’s youngest brother, Alan, had driven down from Botswana. The order of service included messages of tribute from his two granddaughters, Hayley and Lauren. he service was attended by ringers and clergy from both Parktown and Fourways as well as many friends and neighbours.

A half-muffled quarter peal was rung to Ian’s memory by members of the Parktown band.

R.H.R.