READ, John F W – died peacefully on 16th June 2020, aged 87, having been diagnosed with motor neurone disease some months earlier. Much loved husband of Farida, father to Nicholas and Sophia, and grandfather to Howard, Grace, Zoe and Emma. Funeral service for family to take place at St Mary’s church, Saffron Walden.
John was Hon Secretary and Hon Treasurer from 1973 – 1975. The late Christopher Scarlett took over the role of Hon Secretary and John remained Hon Treasurer until Stuart Duncan took over in 2000. John continued as Hon Examiner to 30th June 2018 to inspect the Society’s annual accounts before presentation to the AGM.
One of John’s early initiatives was to organise the Society’s Indonesian Earthquake Disaster Fund in 1976, when members donated over £2,200 (via the Indonesian Embassy) to the International Red Cross in Jakarta, to support the victims of the quake.
John provided a safe pair of financial hands to three Chairmen during his time as Hon. Treasurer – Baroness Vickers, Henry Hainsworth and Christopher Scarlett.
In December 1975, John signed off a payment to the Portman Hotel in London for the Anglo-Indonesian Society’s Annual dinner – a buffet for 214 guests at £3.95 a head.
John and Farida kindly hosted a lunch for Indonesian students in the Cambridge area in May 2013.
John remained on Council until the AGM in November 2014. We believe that John has been the most longstanding Council member with 41 or 42 years of continuous service to the Society, even longer than Baroness Vickers (1956 – 1994) and Christopher Scarlett (1976-2013).
In recognition of John’s remarkable service to the Society, the Council has made a donation in his memory to the Motor Neurone Disease Association
