What a Thoroughly Nice Guy!

We, John and Ruth Buckley, first met you David and Heather when John joined Intercai at Marlow in 1996. After John's leaving in 2002, we kept up contact for occasional meetings and hospitality: Salisbury, Basingstoke, Blenheim Palace, our house in Garsington and the Vyne were examples. We enjoyed the Salisbury Constable exhibition in 2011, when it was clear that David had contributed a great time deal of his time and energy to help it come together.

The memory we want to put forward is a simple one, what a thoroughly nice guy you are, David! At work, always positive and good to work with; socially always friendly, caring and encouraging as well as realistic and sensible. We always came away from a meeting pleased, looking forward to another, whenever that might be. You had my Intercai company car for half a year before I acquired it, and knowing that this was going to happen, you looked after it more carefully than most people look after their own cars! When I faced redundancy and self-employment, you helped me by giving me a reality check. You may not have realised this at the time, but you basically helped me reassure myself me that I wasn't missing a trick or taking life easier than I should have done.

Also, David, in Heather you have a great woman behind you!

So, happy 70th birthday. We hope there will be plenty more birthdays to come!

John and Ruth Buckley, Garsington, Oxford