sharon chapman

How do you pay tribute to someone like Ian??

I often wonder where I would be had I not met and worked with this charismatic, charming, grumpy and impatient man. Said, and of course in the nicest possible way. I only ever referred to this man as grumpy to his face, never said the nice things I knew about him to his face, he ‘did’nt do’ sentimentality, not easily anyway.

When I came to work for the CDT I didn’t have a draw in a desk, or a chair to call my own. Bit of a spare part really until I was asked to work full time for Himself! Didn’t know what to expect, thought him a very charming kindly person who was of a gentle nature and appeared quite shy at first. Until of course we got to know each other. I spent nearly all my working week with him for 7 years.

My first encounter was to try to sort his desk out! I prided myself on my methodical approach to employment and saw him and his desk as a ‘challenge’. Boy was I right. The desk, not a problem, Ian well, I have to admit I never did master him, although I’m proud to say we bonded so well, he just let me run his working life, and I let him shout and throw tantrums which always ended up in me sorting out the route cause of his temper. And he always always said ‘thank you VERY much’! I can hear him say it now….

So many memories, I can hear his cough and his footsteps pounding as he walks up the stairs to every office we worked in. His regular greeting of ‘Hello’ or ‘Hiya’, as he walked in the room, depended on his mood for the day, it was distinctive and told me how the rest of the day was going to be, stressed or hilarious. Actually thinking about it, it was usually a bit of both!

The conferences he spoke at and courses he ran, another fond memory for me and countless others who sat and patiently listened, never interrupting, hungry for information from this knowledgeable man. Each and every presentation that he did, always at the last minute, I put in order for him and in true fashion he always mixed the slides up, dropped them on the floor, or just decided to sack it and speak from the heart. A classic was hunting frantically for a certain slide, turning to me whilst sat in the audience saying I had forgotten to do it! I used to be mortified by this blame, until I and other regular listeners got used to him ‘blaming me’!! The slide was always there, I hasten to add.

People who didn’t know him used to bring him glasses of water when he was up there on stage, they though he had a bad cough, I just wanted to tell them it was his nervous cough, which subsided as he was coming to the end of his presentation.
He never got a minutes peace, even in the breaks people would gather round him to listen to his tales and ‘picture driven accounts’ of people he knew, or things he or they had done. He would not have liked it if people left him alone to smoke fags and drink coffee.

Always one to mimic colourful characters and give you a really bizarre picture of what each person did or could possibly do. Although, you know, nobody could ever take off Ian Smith, unique to his end.

Those of you who knew him well will remember the countless lost reading glasses, god how many times I bought him new ones! One of my very first encounters with this man saw him with a paperclip holding them together. Many times just balanced on his nose with one arm missing! The times he would start flapping cos he needed them urgently and he couldn’t find a solitary pair, I knew they would be under the endless mounds of paper on his desk, or indeed under it! In a real emergency he would pinch mine, stretch them, then give em back! Bless him!

Lost property – well what can I say, lost mobiles, countless left on the trains between Manchester and Wales or Manchester and Yorkshire!

Wallets – how much money has the lucky finder benefited from!!

Empty smoothie bottles on his desk, vanilla was his favourite, bought from the Deli in Chorlton. Favourite lunch - poached salmon on ciabatta, followed of course after friendly banter with Victor the owner, who delighted in trying out his smoothie concoctions on Ian!

Ian’s well stocked wardrobe (Gap did well out of him) usually found in one of his many ruck sacks, or again under his desk, waiting to go to the launderette!

Golden Virginia packets, usually empty ones, rizzla papers, and bits of tabacco strewn in his corner ………!

Old mouldy coffee cups on his desk, did he ever wash them?

Well, I have lots and lots of personal memories of working with Ian Smith too many to mention, I will never find another boss as colourful a character as Ian to work for but I have learnt many things from him and I can honestly say he has changed my outlook on life and he made me a better person for having known him.

One thing I am confident about is the drugs field will sorely miss his input, ideas, ideals, vast knowledge and experience. Those who worked with him will undoubtedly never forget him, his tales and humour.

So to go back to my original question, I actually don’t think you can pay a proper tribute to this man, other than for me to simply say Ian Smith was the strongest and most personable person I ever knew – even to his end.

Bless you Ian,

Love Sha