John Hislop, 1923-2009

My old Papa’s funeral was 2 days ago and I had agreed to say a few words and share some memories at the service. It was difficult to do, but I’m glad I went through with it. Nothing worthwhile is ever easy, right? Here’s what I said:

As my uncle says, this shouldn’t be a sombre time. We should all remember the kind, gentle and fun man that my papa was.

I have tried, over the last few days to think back to the memories I have and hold dear about him from my own childhood and it brought a smile to my face on many occasions.

He had a knack for model making, and I recall the garage he made for me, Ross Motors, which is still in Mum and Dad’s loft. It came fully featured and painted with a car ramp, sign, petrol pumps and was built over two levels. The time and patience he must have put into this was incredible. I also remember the Torpedo Boat model he was working on many years ago. It had a nice hull shape but I guess it just became too intricate to complete.

Once he had retired, I think he started feeling a sort of boredom and I expect that he noticed that I was feeling the same way in that long summer I had between 6^th year at school and 1^st year at University.

This was the summer of the Great Shed Moving. The shed in Papa’s garden had to be moved about three feet forward. For two days I cycled from Crookston, out to Bishopton, and using crowbars, shovels and anything else with a pole attached, we proudly shifted that shed, slowly and surely onto the new slabs that we had laid.

Quite why we did this task is entirely a mystery to me still but I think it was to perhaps counteract that post-retirement boredom.

Papa was never one for technology, he would often ask me how my work was going, but was never really sure what I do. Certainly never afraid to ask the hard questions, he would ask me to explain the concept of IT and computer programming to him – which I never managed to do. I guess the generation gap was just too wide.

My Papa was many things and you will all know him in different ways. But when I was younger and used to ask about the war, that’s when I formed my opinion of him. He was my hero.