Edith Findlay

Sadly, another founder member and long serving stalwart of the club died earlier this year after a long fight with Cancer.  Giles Passmore relays some memories of Edith together with a fond memory from former members Hilary and Mike Procter:

Giles Passmore writes ..... I feel it is easiest to remember Edith by thinking of the best of times and the fun that she, and in the early years Ronnie, injected into the Club.

Ronnie and Edith were early members of Kielder Water Sailing Club and from the start they both entered Club activities with enthusiasm.  Their first boat was a GP 14, and I well remember their determination to succeed, and then they bought a Flying Fifteen.  Again there was an enthusiasm to do well. I have vivid recollections of one Round the Lake race – when Round the Lake was Round the Lake – and we had to enter the Belling from the west to round a buoy half way or more up the Belling.  If there was not much wind it helped if you entered at speed as your momentum carried you some way up to the mark, but there is a bar jutting out from the west of the entrance, which was fine for a dinghy as you just lifted the centre board but more tricky in a Fifteen.  So the aim was to have as much speed on as possible and then cut the corner as fine as possible. However, on this occasion they had the speed right but cut the corner just a bit fine at speed with the spinnaker up.  Well you have difficulty pitch poling a Fifteen but they gave it a jolly good try such was their determination and they just took it all in and shared the general banter.

On another occasion I was talking about going up to Loch Earn for their Open Meeting. Edith took control – and she did it in such a way that it was absolutely impossible to take offence – and before long a club outing was organised with about eight boats of different classes going and we were all to rendezvous at the lay by just outside Pathhead where Edith regaled us with bacon sandwiches and tea, she was incredible.

When the Club was to move from Leaplish to Tower Knowe many of us were gathered together by Edith and taken – marched? – on a tour of all the possible sites for us. Each site’s pros and cons were debated in a very open way before the present site was agreed upon.  In retrospect there was not much choice really but every avenue was publicly examined with thoroughness and an openness of purpose. She was almost a one-woman committee – by the work that she did – but incredibly the committee seemed to include everybody, and this was a remarkable achievement of leadership.

Most of all though, Edith cared about everyone and everything, almost more than herself; in fact most of us would say more than herself.  She was a stock farmer and no cattle or sheep thrive unless they are cared for and this habit of care overflowed from her work into her ‘public’ life, and she cared with a passion.  No matter what her troubles were – and she always belittled them – her duty came first.  The times when she appeared at the club with a bad leg because big bales had fallen on her to her injury or some other accident when most people would have stayed at home and rested are many. In recent times when she was obviously not at her best she always gave the club her best attention. 

Everyone will have their own memories, their own special times with Edith, but everyone will miss her kindness, attention to duty, enthusiasm and good humour.  The Club has lost a great servant but even more so her family has lost an anchor in life.

Giles Passmore

Mike and Hilary Procter remember...

An impromptu meeting of committee members a few months before an open meeting:

"the race  needs organising - Edith will see to that

we need a race officer - Edith?

we need a spare sailor - can Edith let a member use her boat?

we need rescue - Edith will organise it

we need provisions for the galley - Edith will get them

we need help in the galley - can Edith help?

we will need the wood collecting - Edith will bring her pick -up

we will need the wood cutting - Edith will bring her chainsaw

we need the prizes - Edith has the right ideas

we need the prizes presenting - Just the job for Edith"

 Yes, Edith was the sailing club, she was the one man band - and all without any fuss.

Hilary and Mike Procter

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