Memories of a lovely man

I joined the London Borough of Islington (LBI) in January 2007 and one of the very first people I met was Gerard who was the senior officer on the team I was to manage. Gerard was very personable and made me feel welcome from day 1 until I left LBI 7 ½  years later. Along with Ann Lenihan (an elderly Irish lady whom Gerard got on very well with – he was her ‘work son’) together, they formed the bedrock of the team throughout my tenure.

Gerard’s role included the debt recovery for environmental services (where Celina worked) and in particular he was the financial specialist for the Arsenal stadium move from Highbury to the Emirates. This was a highly complicated financial set-up involving Transport for London, an Arsenal property company and the North London Waste Authority. Gerard relished this project (over and above all his other work) as it involved complex contracts, multi-million-pound invoices and not least, as he was our key liaison officer with the Arsenal Director of Finance. It was no surprise to myself or LBI Directors that Gerard excelled in this work and was widely and deservedly praised for his achievements.

Gerard was soon promoted to manage the corporate debt team and helped recruit additional staff from both within LBI and external applicants. Gerard was a considerate manager who would always go the extra mile to help colleagues with any issues they had both work and life related.

Following the implementation of a new corporate debt system, an opportunity came up to manage a completely new team. At first Gerard was reluctant to leave his area of expertise but thankfully he did. Recruiting specialists from Council Tax, Housing Benefit and Housing Rent, Gerard positively led the new team with purpose and direction. Dealing with vulnerable and severely indebted residents, the team facilitated help and support so these residents could start to manage their finances better. This ground-breaking initiative generated many thank-you letters and appreciation from elected Counsellors and local MP’s. I very much recall a residents help fair at Islington Town Hall where the North London and Islington MP – Jeremy Corbyn spent time talking with Gerard and thanking him for his work. Outside work, Gerard was very much an activist who attended demonstrations against injustice; including the Iraq War, Poverty and the suffering of Palestinians amongst other noble causes.

Gerard had a dry sense of humour especially when he proactively volunteered to arrange the team’s Christmas party. Gerard was most enthusiastic to encourage us to go to a small restaurant not far from the office. However, he didn’t fully explain that the Bulgarian chef was only opening for just our visit and consequently we were the only people there. The small number of staff were helpful but obviously wanted to leave as soon as we finished. Memorable as it was, that was the last time we let Gerard arrange our Christmas party.

Gerard was most enigmatic when talking about his Daughter and Son and their many academic and musical achievements. As proud a Dad as anyone could possibly be and it was delightful to see the joy it gave him giving updates on their latest successes.

I kept in touch and met Gerard a few times when I left LBI, but due to distance and our diverging career paths that was unfortunately quite a while ago. I’m eternally thankful that I was fortunate enough to spend several years working with Gerard. I learned a lot from him and very much enjoyed his company and wise counsel. I’m so sorry he’s passed away and will always remember his friendship and happy times.\

Bob Outram