A Tribute To Jim Hindle RIP

Many will be saddened to hear of the death of Jim  Hindle (Joes 1955/1961). Jim was a very popular Old Boy and a stalwart of the Old Boys Association. These are the tributes paid by members of his family at his funeral.

Jack (Elder brother)

James was the youngest of the boys in our family of four boys and four girls and was very much loved and respected by all of us.

As a child he had blonde curly hair which was admired by everyone. This became a source of embarrassment to James who endeavoured to hide these curls under his school cap and when this failed he resorted to plastering his hair with Brylcream to try to straighten it.

Nevertheless his childhood days were very happy ones and he was always inquisitive and mischievous. Indeed on one occasion when he was about four or five years of age whilst travelling in the car (this was well before the days of child locks and seat belts) he somehow managed to open the front passenger door whilst the car was moving and was narrowly saved from falling out. On another occasion when he was not included in a game of tennis he promptly announced that he would umpire instead. Having perched himself on top of a pair of stepladders he fell off but undeterred climbed up again as though nothing had happened;- such was his determination not to be outdone as the little brother.

When he moved from junior school to St Joseph's College in Blackpool, his sporting prowess came to the fore. He excelled at rugby, cricket and athletics where he was particularly outstanding at the pole vault. He was very proud of the fact that he won the Victor Ludorum Trophy for his sporting achievements on no fewer than three occasions.

After leaving college, James continued his sporting pursuits playing rugby regularly for the college Old Boy's team in Blackpool. He also took up the game of golf which in time became his main sporting passion. He played regularly and became a very competitive and successful player.

Another of James's great interests was amateur dramatics particularly the Gilbert and Sullivan operas. He had an excellent singing voice and regularly took a leading role and the ease and confidence with which he played the different characters showed just what talent he had. This involvement in amateur dramatics continued here in Sabden with his participation in local productions.

James's whole working life was in the Fire Service where he enjoyed a very successful and distinguished career rising to the position of Head of Operational Services at Brigade Headquarters before retiring in 2000.

James was a very happy and sociable person - never stuck for an answer and never one to cause offence. He always had a ready supply of jokes or stories to tell. Sometimes this was a cause of concern to Pauline who would quickly say "James, you can't tell that one here" but with quiet assurance and a cheeky grin James would reply "No, trust me, this one's ok" and sure enough it would be the appropriate version for the company present.

This last year has been a particularly memorable one for our family in general with numerous celebrations. The most important event for Pauline and James was the celebration in May of their fortieth wedding anniversary and the special holiday which followed. Thank God they were able to have those special celebrations.

As we remember James there is - in addition to his strength of faith - one thing which stands out a long way and that is the love and pride he had for his family and their individual achievements.
To Pauline he was a loving and devoted husband;
To Fiona and Paul a loving father and father in law;
To Jane a loving and supportive father;
To Marjorie a loving son-in-law;
and to his grandchildren, Emma and Charlotte, a doting granddad.
He had so much love for you all and he was so proud of all of you.

We all have our individual and personal memories of James which will remain precious to each one of us. I hope that these memories, together with the support of family and friends, will be a continuing source of comfort to us all and enable us to remember the joy and pleasure James brought to our lives.

Paul (Son in law)

I feel very honoured to be given the opportunity to say a few words today. Gordon Lucas, James's great golfing buddy, has asked me to say a few things on his behalf as well.

Both of us met James around '96-'97, and I think both of us had the same first impressions: kind, extremely generous and a true fair-minded and proper gentleman. This latter point is the attribute referred to time and again in the almost 100 cards we have received over the past 2 weeks.

We've heard about James's competitive side. He was proud of so many of his sporting achievements. One success was winning a golfing holiday to the Algarve. Now, on the way back from the Algarve, he spotted his beloved William Lawson (don't worry- it's a whiskey) and bought 3 litres. So, now his bags were 3 kilos overweight. Paying the excess in another office meant being last in the queue for the bus to the plane - and then he disappeared again, this time to buy a present for Pauline. This shows him to a tee: prepared to miss his flight for his beloved Pauline; always putting others before himself.

We've heard a lot about his many qualities, he was loud, smiley and always the life and soul of any party.

But, in the interests of balance, I think it's only fair to point out some of his other characteristics.

He could be a bit of a boy racer- he made it from here to Boston Spa in under an hour when Charlotte was born. In recent years he developed a liking for wearing women's clothes and full make up! (as a fantastic pantomime dame). He was a terrible president of the foreign food appreciation society, but this is all as nothing compared to his stubbornness.

We went on a holiday to Spain. Each morning at breakfast he would ask for a fried egg from the chef- no fried eggs, only scrambled or omelettes (as the eggs were already mixed up in the bowl). Well, arguments with the chefs, complaints to the manager, the holiday rep, and every morning: "fried egg please". But, did he get his egg- no.

7 years ago, James had a heart attack. Things were, needless to say, a bit hairy at the time. But he survived. We all share the pain of him being taken from us now, but perhaps we should celebrate those extra 7 years we were given with him. In that time he saw his daughter get married to me, and there were good times as well. I'm thinking about the laughter we shared at his 60th birthday, the joy of seeing Emma and Charlotte arrive, and his Ruby Wedding celebrations. The weekend before he died we had a wonderful party at home for Jane's 30th birthday, full of competitiveness, laughter, fun, and family. He was a stranger to sickness and the ravages of old age that we know can hamper a person's quality of life- he was always able to live life to the full, and we know that he took the opportunity with both hands. For all of this, we give thanks.

People have said to me a lot over the past 2 weeks: was he like a father to you? The answer is no, we met when we were adults; he was one of my best friends. It is now my privilege to help him to live on in our memories.

So James: I say farewell. We will all miss you dearly. We will meet again, and when we do, I'm going to dip a chip into your fried egg yolk.
 

If you would like to add your tribute, please email me at jvward2003@yahoo.com