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Sadly we have to announce the death of Barry Sturrock, our former webmaster. This page is dedicated to his memory. More info and pics are being added all the time. Barry, as well as being John's brother in law, was one of his best friends. Barry passed away peacefully at 2200hrs Tuesday 19th of April 2005. He had been suffering from prostate cancer.
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Without Barry's help, the Eventide and the associated designs, would probably never have got onto the internet. Barry designed the first Eventide site many, many years ago and it ran quite successfully till just before the the split in the owners assoc in January 2003, whereupon it was handed over to others, who quickly degraded and destroyed it. Barry was very annoyed, understandably, that all his hard work could be given to such an incompetent person. Barry was requested by owners to reinstate it. A new site was funded by individuals and with the help of hundreds of enthusiastic owners, who now formed a totally new group, The Eventide Owners Group, he determined to make this site the biggest and best resource in the world for enthusiasts for our sort of boat. I like to think he succeeded. |
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Barry never charged a penny for all the hundreds, no
thousands of hours he spent working on any of the Eventide sites he
designed, and there were many reincarnations. He took a personal pride
in ensuring that not only did it look right, but it was accurate and all the
elements of it worked. He was always ready to listen to comments from
users, ever trying methods to improve accessibility and appearance. Not
surprisingly the site hit counter quickly ran into the thousands, and the
site won awards for design and content. This site and the number of owners and friends registering, with the new group, though we have nothing much extra to offer for registering, quickly rose from the first 65 owners who came to us to near 300 in less than two and a half years. It was Barry's intention that all we had should be available to all for free and that we should rely on the generosity of others to help fund it. He was proved right, enough money is regularly donated to ensure this site will remain live. |
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Barry discovered he had cancer in 2003.
All our families were sharing a canal boat holiday in the April of that year
and he had a persistent chest pain, which troubled him. He did
not like to trouble doctors, but this was so persistent, he sought help.
It took a little while for them to realise that the chest pain was in fact a
secondary cancer and the primary source was the prostate. By this time
the cancer had spread to the lungs and the bones. Barry knew he only had a short time, so he set about teaching others all he knew about web design and management, as well as other skills he had acquired during his life time. In the spring of 2004, the family again embarked on a boating holiday together, this time we chose the less strenuous Norfolk Broads. We also had our aged mother accompanying us, having just celebrated her 80th she was pleased to have her son and two daughters with their spouses to wait on her all week. Barry by this time was having severe breathing and mobility problems, but it did not deter him from getting aboard a dinghy and taking himself off for a short row! His condition see sawed up and down, but it was ever apparent that the downs were getting larger and longer. Eventually he lost his mobility and had to rely on a wheelchair to get about, though he would still struggle and walk short distances and even drive if he could. However the driving soon proved impractical, not just because he could not get out at the other end, but also because with the increasing pain and drugs to combat it, he could not legally drive. Throughout this difficult time he was still teaching others and spending hours refining the website. At times it was difficult to watch him tackling his pain, but at no time did I ever hear him complain. At the end it was a fall at home that hastened his demise, he had been cared for at home by my sister Christine, full time, with the assistance of the local hospice's Macmillan nurses. When he fell he broke his leg, after an operation to set it, he passed away the same day, with both his wife Christine and her and my sister Sue in attendance. I had left him a couple of hours before. He had gripped my hand and said thankyou to me, I knew it was his farewell. He died peacefully.
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In the following pages I hope to give you a little
information about Barry the man, his loves (and his hates as well), his
hobbies and with the support of his family and close friends, an insight
into his life. He was 55 when he was taken from us. He is sorely
missed. John Williams |
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This must be one of the earliest pics of Barry at his home just outside Glasgow. I have seen a pic somewhere of the house and a few years ago Barry went back and it is still there. Even down to the enormous, (NOW) Christmas tree that Barry remembered planting in the back garden. As Christine said, 'just look at that wallpaper!' When I saw the shots of the street I was amazed at the width of the road, I hope I get one of the road to show you. I later found out that there was supposed to be a two 'lane' tram way in the centre of the road, but it was never built.... explained it!
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| This pic is taken a good time later than the one with the Airfix kits, but shows he still was a practical sort! Here he is fitting an aerial to a friends car in the days of CB radio! I think it might have been somewhat a posed picture! | ||||
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The love of things mechanical started very early on,
so it was no surprise when after a short stint in light engineering on the
Clyde, where he commuted to work on those Clyde paddle steamers, to the
'Singer' works, he started his own car repair business. With a friend he set up a brake testing and repair shop. He soon realised you could not sell safety but had to move over to things that make cars go, not stop. Clutches! He stuck at this for several years, before he decided to move from Glasgow and try his luck in the south. He looked at a map, picked out 'Seven Kings', packed his bag and bought a one way ticket. He walked out of the station and down the road. At the set of traffic lights he stopped, pondered, then went into the car radio shop and got not just a job, but a flat as well. my sister Chris lived on the next floor, the rest is history. |
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This early picture of Barry shows him with John's sister Christine, shortly after their marriage. They are in the fields near Mevagissey, very early in the spring. And yes they did pay for the flowers, the farmer said help yourself! |
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Barry loved to drive and with my other sister and brother in law Keith, set up a banger racing team. A series of beaten up jalopies appeared at the farm, all with fancy roll cages and safety cut offs, welded or chained doors and no glass. the most famous was 'Scruffy' a beaten up Ford Anglia. It was raced for a whole season, and was involved in some spectacular smashes. One was so good Christine, with one of Barry's fancy motor wind camera, got a series of shots as it cart wheeled through the sky. Un be known to them a spectator nearby was filming this on her little cine camera. That spectator was to become Barry's sister in law, as it was Darian, long before I knew her. Later we had the film transposed onto Video. All the family looked on as Barry hurtled round the track in glorious colour, but total silence! Who would have believed it. It was the same day as he did the somersault. |
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With his guitar playing, the shaggy hair and beard, he
could take off the big Yin to a Tee. He has even signed autographs for
him. Just like Billy, he was an imposing figure, a presence. Yet he
was quiet and never overpowering. Barry packed up the car radio fitting, he had been heavily into CB radio, in the shop and privately. Unbeknown to him that was going to set him in good stead later. He joined the AA, as a patrolman. he excelled, he won awards and was used in the adverts for the AA of the time,. He drove anything he could, improving his abilities all the while. HGV driving as well. Internally in the AA a memo asked if there were any personnel who had a knowledge of radio, that might like to train for a new venture. Barry applied. he underwent intensive training and was transferred to the west country to head up the local branch of what was to become AA Vodaphone. He was the manager of the branch and acquired British Standard Institute accreditation as the procedure writer for maintenance and the running of cellular phones. he wrote most of the industry procedures and protocols that are still in use today. He was 'head hunted' to set up rival companies, at the time he was one of just a handful of people able to write the procedures to obtain B.S.I. approval, without which the phone companies could not operate. He moved about the country. During this time he and Christine raised a family, Esmée and Gordon. For a time, in Wales the children had to learn to speak Welsh! Esmée went on to a Welsh University, where she obtained a degree. Eventually Barry and Chris moved back to Essex, with Barry working for a company in West London. the daily drive round the M25 eventually meant Barry retired. He left to set up his own computer building business, which he ran for many years. Roland his friend of many years was also involved. Roland had worked with Barry in the AA days.
Barry's son joined the local Sea Cadets, thus began Barry and Christine's long association with the Chelmsford Sea Cadets. |
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Petty Officer Sturrock. |
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| With his Sea Cadet involvement came the chance to visit all manner of Naval craft, including submarines. His unit, 'Upholder', were affiliated to the submarine of the same name. The unit has always been associated with submarines. | ||||
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| There was a long affiliation with Mevagissey in Cornwall. Together with his friend Roland, he must have taken thousands of photos of the place from all angles and in all weathers. The family sometimes caravanned, or camped overlooking a nearby beach, so it was inevitable there were boats involved. Above he is with his son Gordon and his friend Roland's boat. Mackerel were the fish of the day! | ||||
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| Barry built computers. When he left the communications business he set up Spectrum computers and was doing very nicely, supplying businesses and schools with suites of machines. He specialised in network connections and local servers. Pictured above in his workshop, deeply involved in some very delicate engineering! | ||||
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Barry trained as a powerboat instructor. He had
been involved in power boating in small craft, fast ones as well, for as
long as I had known him. One of his first craft I saw him afloat in was a
Pacific 550, with a large and meaty outboard setup. I recall seeing
him back in the 1970's, on the Tideway at Blackwall in my early days on the
river. Over the years he had all sorts of boats, including a 31 ft
Fairey Atalanta, a wreck he tried to restore, but eventually admitted defeat
and sold it on to Mike Twell, who not only finished the job, but exhibited
the boat at the Fairey anniversary show. Barry liked that. He then
owned an Eventide 24, 'Bellapaise' for many years. He bought a
smaller 18ft, Bell built 'Seagull' that he sailed out of Tollesbury for a
while, , eventually selling it to go back to motor cruisers.
Above, this was Barry's last boat, a small motor cruiser he kept on a mooring just off the end of Maldon Prom. He trained Sea Cadets at T.S. Upholder in Chelmsford. He took the Cadets out on the Canal there. He made trips to the Sea, by canal from the base and also would take the Cadet bus, (he had a PSV license as well), with a heavy trailer in tow and one of their fast sports boats. The Tilbury Docks was one venue for these excursions, but he also went to Weymouth, on the Thames and the Blackwater. |
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Saving Old Seagulls Bennissimo Heatherland Cavendish Cars (Barry constructed a local 'Scope' website, but this has now been superseded by the national one.)
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| Barry was also a volunteer on the 'Essex Search and Rescue Teams' When this was set up, there was a call for able bodied volunteers able to turn out at the drop of a hat, to go anywhere... They all met at Chelmsford Police HQ on the first day. There was an introduction session where all had to stand and inform the rest of the room who they were and their skills. Barry, at the front of the room duly did, a few minutes later his and my brother in law Keith, stood up at the back and announced who he was and his brother in law was at the front, to Barry's total surprise! Barry attended many call outs searching for missing persons or bodies, all over the Essex area and some times further afield. A 'job' he really enjoyed! | ||||
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Above Barry at the helm of Fiddler's Green Summer 2004.
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Barry designed websites. Above are just a small
sample of his work. They were not just for the
Eventide, but for clubs, charities, celebrities and individuals. He
was very creative. His two children, no longer children as they are in
their late teens and twenties now, are similarly able. Gordon has
participated in a 'Dream weaver' course of web design. I hope he
will follow his father.
One of Barry's wishes, was that one day he would have a cat that would actually come to him and sit on his lap. Strangely none of their previous cats showed any inclination to do. He loved his cats. Here he is shown with the pair of kittens the family acquired in 2004. The Siamese looking cat, 'Bluebell', laid on his lap, the other scamp, 'Indy' short for 'Indefatigable', is fighting Barry for the rice pudding, 'Indy' won! Sadly 'Indy' was run over shortly before Barry died. |
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Here Barry is filling in for an emergency rail
shutdown and during a strike in Manchester. Going round in circles in
East London, I know how he seems to feel! Thanks to Roland for the photos,
in fact for most of the pics on this page! |
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Barry did like his motor cars, but he also loved playing with graphics! As you can see! |
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One one Barry's later jobs, was as a coach driver. After his computer business was overtaken by the giants in the high street, he diversified, using the talents he had acquired over the years. Here he is driving an empty coach. His chum Roland was the real driver this day, Barry was along for the ride. His illness was advanced now and he had not worked for a while. |
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This last picture was taken just a week or two before
Barry died. The twinkle was still in his eye. Though he had lost
his mobility, he had not lost his humour and ability to create. He was
working on his laptop computer, linked by radio to the main computer,
tinkering with the website and answering mails etc. He had a video
link set up and was in communication with family and friends all the time. All of us who knew Barry will miss him. Every day I call to him for help! He was one of those guys who would always do what he could for you, a real gentleman. John Williams
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The Barry Sturrock Seamanship award.
In April 2008 the new seamanship award was first unveiled and awarded. Announced at the Annual Meeting on 5th April 2008, the first to be presented with the award was Brendan Mason, for his passage making plans for his maiden voyage in 'Tarka' his WildDuck. I believe Seamanship starts as a frame of mind and Brendan clearly showed this with the preparations he made for his first trip. Other aspects are learnt from others and from reading or watching. Brendan has clearly demonstrated his willingness to learn. The trip was not of epic proportions by any means, less than 10 miles, but it was made in very cold conditions in February! It was also his first time off the mooring and with a totally untried boat, and he with very little experience. He had taken the helping hand of another member, John Stevens, as a crew, but the preparations and gear taken left little scope for a mishap. Well done Brendan.
John |
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Contact us at enquiries@eventides.org.uk
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