Right here, right now, I am struggling to fulfill a promise I made to my cousin, Des Ryan, to write my father's story. I realised this would not be an easy project and so farmed it out to my siblings, seeking their input. In many ways this has made the project more difficult as we all suffer from Procrastination to some degree or other. I initiated the process in September last year and had hoped to have completed it by Easter, but four months later the end is nowhere in sight.
In the intervening months there have been several deaths. After attending another funeral last Friday, I decided to bite the bullet and issued a deadline warning to all involved. As Des turned 91 this year, I feel a sense of urgency to complete this task whilst he is still with us. Thus, I have stated all contributions need to be with me no later than the end of September.
My daughter, Michele, in charge of the technical side, has suggested we do a timeline of his life, with insertions from his various progeny relating to their memories of their Father. As there were ten children over a twenty-year period, one can imagine memories and opinions of him vary greatly. Added to this, my father worked as a doctor in many different locations which adds another layer to his story.
Des has been the main contributor of his cousin's early life, although Des was sixteen years younger. The two cousins remained close throughout my father's life and visited one another regularly, although on opposite sides of the globe for the last forty years.
To date, no one has the story of my parents meeting, but who knows, this mystery may be solved during this undertaking. Fortunately, his school and university days are available in various archives and some of the photos have been a surprise. I had never thought my father was involved in sport to the degree that is obvious from the various teams he participated in.
I have found this whole process to be a test of my endurance, but there have been several discoveries along the way and, as a result, an increased awareness of my father and the influence he has had on all our lives.
It has been suggested that “we” need to do a similar project on my mother's life, but that is in the future. As to who “we” is, I have my suspicions that it is none other than yours truly.
Right Here, Right Now, I am looking forward to completing this project and presenting Des with a copy of the finished article.
I think “Herding Cats” might have been easier.
Margaret McCrohan,
August 2022
In the intervening months there have been several deaths. After attending another funeral last Friday, I decided to bite the bullet and issued a deadline warning to all involved. As Des turned 91 this year, I feel a sense of urgency to complete this task whilst he is still with us. Thus, I have stated all contributions need to be with me no later than the end of September.
My daughter, Michele, in charge of the technical side, has suggested we do a timeline of his life, with insertions from his various progeny relating to their memories of their Father. As there were ten children over a twenty-year period, one can imagine memories and opinions of him vary greatly. Added to this, my father worked as a doctor in many different locations which adds another layer to his story.
Des has been the main contributor of his cousin's early life, although Des was sixteen years younger. The two cousins remained close throughout my father's life and visited one another regularly, although on opposite sides of the globe for the last forty years.
To date, no one has the story of my parents meeting, but who knows, this mystery may be solved during this undertaking. Fortunately, his school and university days are available in various archives and some of the photos have been a surprise. I had never thought my father was involved in sport to the degree that is obvious from the various teams he participated in.
I have found this whole process to be a test of my endurance, but there have been several discoveries along the way and, as a result, an increased awareness of my father and the influence he has had on all our lives.
It has been suggested that “we” need to do a similar project on my mother's life, but that is in the future. As to who “we” is, I have my suspicions that it is none other than yours truly.
Right Here, Right Now, I am looking forward to completing this project and presenting Des with a copy of the finished article.
I think “Herding Cats” might have been easier.
Margaret McCrohan,
August 2022
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