Dad was undoubtedly an exceptional person that possessed many special qualities. To have a father made of this ‘special something’; to be so close to him and to have benefited from everything he had to offer makes my sisters, my mum and myself feel incredibly lucky. I know that we all feel privileged to have been part of dad’s life, just as he was pivotal in ours. Dad invested everything he ever had into his family, which also included his mum and dad (Nan and Grampie), and his brothers Ray and Eric – I know he thought the world of them all. It goes without saying that Dad loved mum deeply. He was so thankful to have met Mum, fell in love and had the opportunity to raise a family of his own. Mum says, they were soul mates and I know that Dad quietly worshiped mum and everything they achieved together. As children, dad provided us all with everything we needed and wanted by working hard all his life. When we were young, he enabled mum to stay at home and care for us. We had amazing holidays every year and he always treated us. He would even take a loan at Christmas, to be paid back over the course of the following year, just to be able to spoil us with all the presents we wanted. As we grew older, both mum and dad helped us all to buy cars and become independent, go to university, travel, and find our own places to live. We can never repay them enough for the foundation they have given us all in life! Just as important, Dad (and of course Mum) gave us all the attention, support, affection and limitless love we needed. And it was unconditional. No matter what we did at any point, we knew that we were, and still are, loved and supported. I remember being about 7 on a family holiday in Torquay. Like every holiday we were given some spending money. For some reason I took mine and put it in the slot machine; I expect, hoping to make more. But I didn’t; I lost it all. So I reluctantly told Dad. Rather than punish me, his advice was to learn the lesson never to gamble and he gave me some more money. I never forgot this, not because I got away with it, but because dad’s love, advice and support turned a negative experience into something positive that I learnt from. He did this all the time, often without us really knowing it. As a man, I would regularly turn to dad for advice and I always felt that I could talk to him without fear of being judged or not being understood. He would willingly offer ideas and solutions along with any help I needed. That was dad; always supportive, extremely generous and very kind. Not wanting to seek attention, he would often put others first, not just his family but also many who knew him. These qualities party come from his staunch Labour and Union beliefs; dad firmly believed in helping others and he got a great deal of satisfaction from this. The combination of Dad’s genuine warmth, loving and caring nature, and subtle guiding wisdom made him quite unique. To me, this is Dad’s legacy. Not one single act at just one moment. But rather a constant guiding and loving presence in our lives. This is everlasting………..and has now become a core part of who I am today. If this is a mark of greatness, Dad truly was, and still is, a great man! And so the saying goes, that behind every great man there is a strong woman. That could not be more true of mum and dad’s relationship. As a son, I always looked up to my dad. Dad was silly and funny, whilst also being intelligent, insightful and sensitive. I learnt a lot from his many skills and talents, particularly his ability to be imaginative, and find ingenious solutions to make and mend anything. He always made me feel incredibly special and believed in my ability to achieve anything I wanted to; I know that Angela and Suse also feel the same way. Dad was always, and still remains to be, my hero! I told him this many times. Dad represents everything in the man I want to become… …And I know he will always be there for me; alive everywhere I am.