It is with great sadness that we record the death of Peter Brainwood, who passed away recently at the age of 92.
Peter joined Rotary in 1994, following his involvement with Round Table, as did many members of our Club. Over more than three decades he became an integral part of the life and character of the Club, serving as Club President in 2002 and contributing to numerous committees and Club activities over the years.
His commitment to Rotary was recognised with a Lifetime Award, and, more recently, Peter was honoured with Honorary Membership of the Club. These honours were a fitting recognition of the enormous contribution he made to Rotary and to our Club in particular.
Peter remained an active member right up until his final years. Until relatively recently he served as our Dinner Secretary, a role which he carried out with great skill and considerable patience. Organising the weekly dinners and managing the numbers when arrangements were constantly changing was no easy task, but Peter had a remarkable ability to juggle the numbers and somehow make it all work. His efforts were hugely appreciated by everyone who enjoyed those Club dinners.
But Peter will perhaps be remembered most fondly for his infectious sense of humour. He was always ready with a joke, particularly when a meeting appeared to be flagging a little, and he had an uncanny ability to lift the atmosphere and bring a smile to those around him. His warmth, good humour and friendly personality were very much part of what made him such a popular member of the Club.
Peter and his wife Moira were also great supporters of Rotary's Tripartite gatherings with our friends in Voorschoten and Iserlohn Rotary Clubs. They embraced the fellowship and friendship which these occasions provided and played an important part in maintaining the strong relationships between the three Clubs.
Music was another important part of Peter and Moira's contribution to Club life. They were both valued members of the Rotary Club choir, which has brought music and friendship to local care homes and has been a regular and much-loved feature of the Club's Christmas Concerts the Club used to organise. Even as Peter's health began to fail, he continued to do whatever he could to support the Club and remained determined to play his part.
Peter leaves behind his wife, Moira, sons Christopher, Robert and David, daughter Linda and countless grandchildren, as well as a much wider circle of friends and fellow Rotarians who will feel his loss deeply. For newer members of the Club, Peter represented something particularly valuable: a living link to the history and traditions of the Club, together with a wealth of experience in how to make Rotary work. His knowledge, enthusiasm and willingness to help were always readily available.
Peter was much more than a long-serving Rotarian. He was a friend, a source of wisdom, a willing helper and, very often, the person with the joke that arrived at exactly the right moment. He will be greatly missed by everyone in the Club who had the privilege of knowing him. Our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with Moira, his family and all those who loved him.