Condolences - John Lawley

Midland Branch members are invited to send in their messages to be placed on this on-line "book of condolences".   Please send any submissions to IOSH for publication.

Posted 01 September 2010

To the memory of Donald John Lawley – President, IOSH Midland Branch

John was a friend and mentor over the many years we served the Midland Branch Committee.

John was one of the earliest members of IOSH, in fact John joined the Institution of Industrial Safety Officers in mid-November 1963 and had probably one of the lowest  membership numbers of the Institute.

As a safety practitioner, Johns main focus was construction though his early experience was through the National Coal Board as a Safety Officer and worked also in bridge building and tunnelling which his expertise came through when he talked about previous jobs he had worked on and more especially the safety issues he came across and resolved.

The support John demonstrated to the Branch was great, even after suffering severe illness John still made the effort to attend the Branch meetings and was an enthusiastic contributor and inspiration to us ‘youngsters’ of how to perform.

John's enthusiasm for Health and Safety and helping others went beyond just membership of the Institute, he was one of the key members of Midland Associated Safety Practitioners (MASP), an independent ‘sister’ organisation set up to compliment and widen the learning experience of the Midland members beyond the Branch and District experiences that has run now for many years.

One of the key points of Health and Safety is risk and John had had done his fair share of assessing risks from his years of motorcycle racing in the Isle of Man TT events as well as his showing of his racing machines annually at the Newport Show.

John will be sadly missed as a fellow safety professional, as a true gentleman and friend.

Ralph Weaver, IOSH Midland Branch Chairman, 2009-2011

Posted 07 June 2010

To the memory of John Lawley -  President Midland Branch

I have known John since the days when the Branch meetings were held at the Aston University in the 1990’s.

In more recent years we have regularly met at the MASP seminars which you, John and Enid ran as a team. John and I have worked together on the Branch Executive Committee, meeting now at Hollyfields, and regularly chatted, comparing notes about events in the Health and Safety world.

John has always impressed me with his dedication to his post as the Branch President, even making the effort to get to branch meetings whilst still recovering from serious illness.

He was such a good example to us all. John was one of life’s gentlemen and it has been a privilege to be regarded as on of his many friends.

Words are so inadequate at this time but I hope that my words bring some comfort to you and that I am thinking of you. John will be sadly missed.

My sincere condolences.

Les Pearce,

Chairman, Midland Branch East District