To My Little Brother:

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I am so Proud to be your Sister There have been some beautiful tributes to you and I couldn’t be more proud to be your sister.

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How very kind and gentle, How you were an amazing friend, How people felt blessed to have known you; how genuine you were ; a true hero; that you had the biggest heart; one of the best; a true gentleman; how you really cared about others; How very well respected and liked by everyone you were; people have said it was a privilege to work alongside you; A pleasure to know you …….. there are so very many comments to make my heart swell with pride and love.

 

You cared so much. You cared about the underdogs, the people who had very little and you cared about changing the systems that kept them there, you cared about the people who needed a leg up in life or shelter and sustenance, or someone on their side, and speaking up for them. This was who you were – compassionate and kind.

 

You did things about it too – you shared anything you had - with so many people through your life and lives were so much richer as a result.

 

You understood and cared about the impacts of being poor not just here in the UK but around the world. For endless years you have donated to “Wateraid” from your monthly salary, because you understood the basic simple life-saving value of providing clean, safe water which we take so much for granted here.

 

Even when you had little yourself you recognised how much more you had then many. For years too on a monthly basis, you have donated to Global Just Trust because you believed in creating a more just and equal world. And also to Great Ormond Street and of course to Guide Dogs for the Blind a special charity in your heart. You cared that a little help can go a long way and the huge difference it can make to people’s lives. You cared and you did things about it, you made a difference.

 

You have loved dogs all your life. Blackie was our dog growing up and as soon as you had your own place you set about choosing your beloved Labradors. You chose Labradors because they are as you once explained to me, “ good natured and dependable, reliable and trustworthy, social by nature, gentle and outgoing, eager to please, intelligent, especially suited to work in and around water, love participating in canine sports, are one of the most popular family dogs and excel when working in difficult and challenging terrains”. Labradors also excel at being Guide dogs and assistant dogs. Describing them, their character and attributes is like describing you!!! That’s you – helping people and being a guide!!

 

You have been a life-long member of the labour party and described yourself as ‘a lefty’, a champion of the working classes and the low paid and disadvantaged. You were a member of and representative of the Prospect Union. You knew that to change the unfairness in the way things worked you had to stand up and be counted. We’ve had many political discussions over many years and you held strong and firm opinions on many things. But you didn’t just talk about it, you did something about it.

 

 You were influenced by our grandfather who often talked to us about the hardship he and his family faced . Grandad fought in world war 1, lost an eye , then was send to Northern Ireland for 2 years before being discharged (life was hard for soldiers in those days – you were expected to keep going even though you’d lost an eye!). After finally being discharged, he worked on the buses for Portsmouth Corporation , but was sacked when he went on strike in the late 20’s as people desperately campaigned for a decent wage especially in the absence of a welfare state and health service. He was out of work for a long while. He told us about dad going to school with bare feet or holes in his shoes stuffed with newspaper.

 

He inspired you on your path, your values, principles and attitude to work and life. He would be so proud of you too as would dad. You appreciated what you had and what many people didn’t and have encouraged and motivated many people to take steps to change their lives, giving them confidence to spread their wings, helping them in so many ways.

 

You had tremendous loyalty to your family, friends and workplace and of course to POMPEY. The loyalty wasn’t just about you’re presence or attendance, the loyalty extended to financial and moral support. Through thick and thin you were always there for people around you. For Pompey, you bought anything that they sold to raise money for the club including a bit of the pitch! You have drawers full of pins, flags, hats, scarves, many shirts, programmes – any memorabilia they came up with to raise money you bought !

 

You loved the Dockyard – it’s wonderful rich history, the people that worked there, the people that you worked with. You loved your job, had total respect for your employer and they you. Before coming to the church this afternoon, we have accompanied you on your last visit to the dockyard and the places you have worked in a tour arranged by your employer BAE systems as a tribute in recognition of you and our family. How special is that??? How special were you?

 

Goodbye my kind, compassionate, warm hearted, generous and lovely little brother. I am so proud to be your sister.