Ryde Rotary Club Alan and Wynn Leather

G Alan Leather and Mrs W Wyn Leather.

When Alan died in 2009 and Wyn passed away shortly before Christmas last year, after attaining her 100th birthday, it marked the end of their continual dedication to the Rotary Movement through the Ryde Club and Inner Wheel since 1970.

Alan was elected President in 1977 and silently felt immensely honoured by his later Paul Harris Fellowship. Wyn served Inner Wheel right to her last years, always as a foot soldier by choice, never taking the Presidency.  Although they had no children of their own they took an interest in their wider family,  two of their nephews recall that Alan took the opportunity of his Rotary membership to ensure that they had public speaking experience, on both occasions by command rather than invitation!

Together, the couple had considerable input to the social side of the Club including their enthusiastic support of the twinning with Chateau de Loire. Individually, Alan's unassuming but energetic dedication helped a variety of practical charities, for example Tools for Developing Countries (he was a skilled amateur cabinet maker). Wyn, outside her Inner Wheel contribution, spoke of 25 years of involvement with the floral displays at first Ryde Hospital and later Newport.

Alan's other latent passion was in preserving the authentic memory of how life really was for all his compatriots in World War 2 where he served with the RAF in Egypt.

The couple are missed, by Wyn's four nephews, and Alan's cousin whose husband has followed Alan into Rotary (in Amersham, Bucks.) together with those remaining friends with memories of their lives and Rotary service.

BH