Obituaries H to N

GRAHAM HARPER
Immediate Past provincial president of Province 18 and Eastbourne Circle Graham Lloyd Harper died on the 22nd November 2006.

Graham was born on 7th October 1943 in Dudley, Worcestershire. He was the only son of parents who ran a florist and fruit business in the town. At the age of seven he was sent to boarding school and then for his secondary education he attended Malvern College. After A levels in sciences and languages he went to Manchester University to study
Spanish. It was there that he met Sheila who was a student in the same department. He graduated with an honours degree in 1966 and in that same year he and Sheila were married. Last summer they celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary.

Graham was an accomplished musician playing blues and classical music on his guitar. He played professionally for a couple of years after leaving university, fitting this in with a job in a bookshop in Leeds.

His love of literature and languages coupled with the experience that he had gained in the shop convinced him that he would like to purchase his own bookshop. In 1971 they bought Harper’s Bookshop in Eastbourne. Sheila gave up her career as a language teacher to work with Graham in the town centre shop. It flourished on the skill and knowledge of the owners who were always able to recommend books for their customers. They owned it until retiring in 2002. It was natural that as Graham was fluent in Spanish, Portuguese and French, retirement gave them the opportunity to travel more extensively than previously. They particularly enjoyed visiting South America and on one occasion they met up with their son Antony, who was working as a language teacher. Some 20 years ago Graham converted to the Catholic faith and quickly became fully involved with the work of the parish. He sang baritone in the church choir, joined the Catenians and in recent years, with Sheila, they ran the church repository.
He was a naturally gregarious man who enjoyed being a Catenian.

He was President in 1997/8 and Provincial President in 2005. He sat on various committees including that for the Annual Conference which came to Eastbourne in 2006. He liked to attend the annual conferences and was particularly impressed by Malta Week.

He was also fully involved in the business community. He was twice Chairman of the 41 Club, Chairman of the Sussex Branch of the Booksellers Association and Treasurer of FLIP, a charity which provides
care and opportunities for under-privileged children in Poland. Graham was a keen sportsman and an energetic person who loved the outdoors. He sailed for many years, enjoyed skiing, walking on the Downs, golf, and watching cricket at Arundel. In his youth he competed in the All England Athletic Championships. 17 years ago Graham lost a kidney to cancer which went into full remission.
Sadly, the cancer returned last year and he was undergoing a course of immunotherapy. He bore this with his usual aplomb and forbearance, even though it made him tired.

He loved to walk his Labradors over the Sussex Downs or on the beach in all weathers. He loved the Eastbourne sunrises and sunsets. Indeed he was doing what he loved best at the time of his untimely death. He and Sheila were on holiday in the Lake District and Graham took his dog, Sooty, for a walk on the Fells. He failed to return and in deteriorating weather conditions the Keswick Mountain Rescue Team launched its largest ever search with the help of helicopters, dogs and 130 volunteers. Sooty, although a young dog, stayed with Graham until he was found at lunchtime the following day. He will be missed for his wit and sense of fun, his gentle easy going unflappable manner and his enthusiasm for all that he did. He was a cultured and urbane man who gave generously of his time and talents.

May he rest in peace

LIONEL EDWARD HUNT


Lionel’s life was one of perseverance and constancy. He was born in Shoreditch on 1st January 1921. He was the youngest of three, having two elder sisters.

At junior school he showed potential and managed to win a scholarship to the local grammar school in Chiswick. Unfortunately, his father died when he was four and his mother, Lily, supported him through her work as a seamstress. By working long hours she was able to earn enough to pay for his education.

Owing to his impressive science grades at school he was able to work in science laboratories at Teddington, where he developed a particular interest in aviation. This prompted him to join the RAF to become a pilot in 1941, but due to his less than perfect eyesight he was commissioned as a Signals Officer.

In 1942 he was sent to Calcutta, where he met Rose, who had recently volunteered to work in India in her career as a nurse. Their relationship grew over a period of time and Lionel decided to propose, but Rose, being very much a career girl, politely declined.

Some eighteen months later they coincidently met again in Burma, where after a time Lionel again proposed and was again politely refused. At the end of the war Lionel and Rose, in their separate ways were both transferred to Indonesia on the island of Java. By this time Lionel had been promoted to Flight Lieutenant and led an advanced attachment to establish and new signals base. Rebels mistook the markings on his British plane to be those of the Dutch. Lionel was taken prisoner and suffered at the hands of his captors. Following negotiations he was released and transferred to Surabaya for hospitalisation and recuperation. Coincidentally, Rose’s unit had also been transferred to Surabaya. They again met and the relationship grew and Lionel again proposed to Rose and she accepted. After special permission they became the first English couple to be married in the local church and received three wedding licences – one in Latin, one in Dutch and one in English.

In late 1946 they returned to England and in July 1947 their first child Anne was born, followed by John (PP of Eastbourne Circle) in September 1950. Lionel had applied for and was accepted by the Civil Service. He also decided to take a degree in economics at The London School of Economics. He worked in several different parts of the Civil Service but his main interest in aviation led him to the Ministry of Defence and the post of Director of Procurement, where he was engaged in the negotiations and purchase of military aircraft and missiles for the RAF.

From his school days Lionel was very keen on rowing and shortly after returning from Asia he joined the Vesta Rowing Club in Putney. In 1947, representing Vesta, he won a medal in the Henley Regatta in the coxless fours. He continued rowing until after his retirement when he and Rose moved to Eastbourne in 1983.

In the early 1970’s Lionel joined the Catenian Circle in Croydon and, following his move to Eastbourne, rejoined the Association in 1994. He remained an active and committed member of the Circle until the last two years of his life when illness prevented regular attendance at circle meetings. He had cancer, underwent major arterial surgery and suffered a stroke. During that period he was nursed continuously by Rose.

He will be sadly missed, but also best remembered, for his kind, wise and gentle spirit as well as his profound and witty remarks – whether this be at Circle meetings or events or around the rabble of the family table, where he frequently enjoyed the company of his children and grandchildren.

Earlier in the year Lionel and Rose were able to celebrate the love and respect they had for each other over the years on the occasion of their sixtieth wedding anniversary.

May he rest in peace.