18/07/2026
12/03/1951 - 05/07/2026 💔 RIP
Dear Dad,
You taught me how to see the world.
You gave me wide eyes, an adventurous spirit, compassion & above all, a genuine love of humanity.
At 17 years old, in 1968, you left your parents’ home with nothing more than your guitar, best pal, & backpack. You hitched across Europe, found yourself caught up in the Paris student riots, reversed charges to Granma for your exam results in Morocco, then travelled on to Afghanistan.
Those adventures became the stories of my childhood. You spoke endlessly about the kindness you encountered, the traditions you witnessed, & generosity of strangers. You noticed the less people had, the more willing they were to share.
Through your stories, you taught me to approach the world with curiosity instead of fear, & kindness instead of judgement.
Fifteen years ago, cancer tried to write you off. The doctors called you a walking miracle. After life-changing operations that would have stopped most in their tracks, you simply carried on. You devoted countless hours to raising money for local charities and improving opportunities for people in your community & your sense of adventure never faded.
Last October, you & your grandson, my Mylan, set off on an American West coast road trip, memories that he’ll keep precious.
Then, in January, we dropped you at the train station with your rucksack as you headed off to spend three weeks travelling around South India. Mylan kept asking where your suitcase was.
You’d only just returned from another road trip, driving up the coast of Morocco, still chasing new experiences, still meeting new people, still seeing the world with the same wanderlust you’d had at 17.
Dad, we can’t quite fathom a world without you in it.
But perhaps that’s because you never really belonged to just one place.
Mum just keeps saying, you’ve gone travelling ❤️
