The Twelfth Man 2018

13 OBITUARIES C olin Barker really was one of life’s gentlemen, a friend to everyone with whom he came into contact and willing to tackle any job. Within a short time of joining our Society he found himself serving on the committee and threw himself into the job, amongst other tasks, accepting the job of proof-reading The Twelfth Man, his eagle eye missed nothing, grammatically or even a missed comma. He hardly ever missed an evening, always sitting at a table just inside the door, asking pertinent questions and proposing votes of thanks to speakers always clear, amusing and relevant. Poignantly, on the eve of his funeral, his sons, Paul and David sat at this table to hear tributes paid to their father. Colin was educated at Hemsworth Grammar School and served in the R.A.F., before working on vehicle licencing and a local building society, before settling into his main job as Probation Officer in Wakefield where he spent thirty happy years before retiring in 1991. However, for a man like Colin, retirement only gave him more time to throw himself into voluntary work, where his enthusiasm knew no bounds, his wife Brenda also gave her full support to many of his interests, travelling to cricket, particularly at his beloved Scarborough. Their shared support of Sandal Methodist Church was legendary. I was told, “There was no limit to what he would do”and I have to note that during the years when I wrote for the Wakefield Express, Colin made sure I never missed an event. Among the many voluntary ‘jobs’ he had as Trustee of the Sandal Charities, I now find myself trying to fill his position. THE PASSING OF A TRUE GEN TLEMAN