Two of my Uncles were extraordinary men. Here are a few sparks from the fire of their lives.
When he was 86 or over, Uncle Arthur learned that I was in England on holiday from my job in Guyana and sent a message inviting me to crew with him in a sailing race in which he was competing. I replied that I was too old and unfit to accept. He got someone else and he almost won the race.
My father’s older brother – in his resignation Air Marshal Sir Arthur McDonald of the Royal Air Force Air Council. He was a life force, one of the most charismatic men I have met. Charismatic but not intimidating. When I first went to England at the age of 18, to go up to Cambridge, it was VIP but it never showed. His kind eyes and chuckling laugh and his smile were like mine and that helped. He made me feel at ease – a conversation that took me out and gave me confidence. After that he helped me whenever he could while I was at University.