Memorials

It is with much sadness we reflect on the life of our friend and colleague Dr Joan Martin who died in March 2023, aged 72, after a four year battle with leukemia. 

Joan was born a twin in County Antrim. Having contracted polio at age three, she attended Fleming Fulton School Belfast and then Bloomfield Collegiate Grammar school. In 1969, she went to St Andrews School of Occupational Therapy, St Andrews Hospital, Northampton, developing a life-time interest in psychiatry. 

On qualifying, Joan worked in London, notably as Head Occupational Therapist at the Atkinson Morley Hospital. Working with Professor Crisp, she set up a new model of treatment for eating disordered patients.  

She later published a book entitled ‘Eating Disorders, Food and Occupational Therapy’. Joan was awarded a Fellowship of the Royal College of Occupational Therapists in 1981 for this work. She was the youngest occupational therapist to be given this award and the first and only person to gain this recognition in Northern Ireland for 30 years, until a former student of hers achieved this.  

Joan returned to Northern Ireland in 1978, to take up an academic post at Ulster University. She held a senior lecturer post for seven years and was then course director for a further six years. She was part of a small group who developed the first honours degree in occupational therapy in the UK, a course that helped develop similar courses nationwide.  

During this time, she was a National Examiner of the College of Occupational Therapists, a member of the Education Committee and the Ethics Committee, which set standards for all UK approved occupational therapy courses and was part of BJOT’s Editorial Review Board 

Joan was the Northern Ireland representative on the OT Board of the CPSM Council (now the Health and Social Care Professions Council) for 20 years. She led on the new accelerated occupational therapy courses for graduate entry applicants and a new pre-registration master’s degree that was to give eligibility for state registration.  

Joan was central to the introduction of CPD and chaired a group responsible for establishing a new system of assessments for overseas registration applications. 

Her dream of learning to fly was achieved in the 1980s, with the help of a Douglas-Bader Scholarship. 

In 1986, Joan completed an MA through Warwick University and a DPhil at the University of Ulster in 1999. In 1986, she also met Paul, her husband to be, on a sailing holiday in Greece. They were married in 1986, and were blessed with the birth of a son in 1987. 

Joan ran a wonderful, welcoming home alongside her busy professional career, baking, cooking, jam and chutney making, knitting and sewing amongst other hobbies. There were Christmas parties for friends and their children, the smell of homemade mince pies fondly remembered. 

Joan left the university in 1999, to develop her own portfolio of public appointments, putting her educational knowledge and skills to good use. Despite a subsequent diagnosis of Post-Polio Syndrome, she continued to make notable contributions to various professional boards including: 

• The Architects Registration Board (ARB), visiting courses of architecture throughout the UK to ensure parity between courses. She advised on ways to encourage and support students with disabilities into the profession and was invited to join the Professional Liaison Committee for Architecture at Queens University, Belfast. 
• The Appeals Service of NI: employed by NI Courts Service from 1994, as a Disability Qualified Panel Member to hear DLA, PIP and Attendance Allowance Appeals. 
• The General Medical Council (GMC): she chaired and worked on many boards and committees including the Undergraduate Board where she reviewed the annual reports for all medical schools to see if recommendations and requirements had been carried out and standards upheld. Joan also produced the ‘Gateways Project’ that encouraged students with disabilities into medicine. 
• Royal College of Surgeons: where she worked with consultant surgeons to visit and make recommendations to a surgical unit or for a surgeon in difficulty. 
• Council of the Inns of Court Tribunal Board: Joan interviewed and appointed panelists who would assess the fitness to practise cases of Barristers and QCs in a system that is independent and separate from the Bar. 
• The General Osteopathic Council lay member and member of the Education and Standards Committee. 
• Northern Ireland Medical and Dental Training Agency lay member involved in monitoring and appointing the training of postgraduate doctors. 

Joan also found time for fund raising for various charities, notably the South Belfast Guide Dog Group, having welcomed Yeoman, her husband’s guide dog into the family and busied herself making face masks to raise funds during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

She gave advice to a range of companies on disability issues including Marks & Spencers, Lisburn and the Consumer Council locally. Joan also worked with the CEO of British Airways being a frequent flyer to attend committees in London, to improve and make changes for disabled passengers in particular at the central security checkpoint. 

Despite the devastating diagnosis of leukemia, Joan got on with her life. Her consultant remarked, that in her experience, absolutely no one had ever tolerated their treatment like she did, while maintaining such a full and active lifestyle. 

As her son Timothy said at her funeral, she may have had size three feet, but she wore size 11s! Her capability and determination to live life to the full was never in doubt. Joan will be remembered for her forthrightness, friendship, loyalty, reliability and industriousness.  

She was a force to be reckoned with and an amazing example of independence over adversity. Joan is survived by her husband Paul and her son Timothy. 

Perhaps the sonnet ‘High flight’, written by the war poet John Gillespie Magee in 1941 (just three months before his death), which was inspired by his experiences as a Canadian fighter pilot in WW2 is a fitting tribute to Joan:

Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth 
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings; 
Sunward I’ve climbed and joined the tumbling mirth 
Of sun-split clouds, – and done a hundred things 
You have not dreamed of – wheeled and soared and swung 
High in the sunlit silence. Hov’ring there, 
I’ve chased the shouting wind along, and flung 
My eager craft through footless halls of air… 

Up, up the long, delirious burning blue 
I’ve topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace 
Where never lark, or ever eagle flew – 
And, while with silent, lifting mind I’ve trod 
The high untrespassed sanctity of space, 
Put out my hand, and touched the face of God. 

Joan will always be fondly remembered for her passion for occupational therapy and her zest for life. She was a true inspiration to so many people both within and beyond our profession. We shall all miss her. 

Contributors:  Marion Stuart, Rhoda Baxter, Chris Hewitt, Professor Patricia McClure 

In Memorial 

Fiona Jane Evans (nee Ogilvie) 1959-2022  

Fiona Jane Evans, so sadly missed by her numerous friends, colleagues and patients, was an exceptional occupational therapist.  

After qualifying from St Loyes College, Exeter, Fiona worked for many years in both the Health and Social Care sectors. A team manager at Sherborne Social Care office in Dorset for many years, Fiona moved to Dorset CCG to develop a specialist Continuing Healthcare Occupational Therapy team covering Dorset, Bournemouth and Poole.  

She set up and developed the team and worked tirelessly to promote the service for her patients with complex needs. She was an advocate for Personal Health Budgets and this included educating other healthcare professionals to promote the concept and addressing the COT conference in 2014 as a guest speaker.  

Fiona was a caring and loyal teacher, always willing to take the time to impart her vast experience to others. She was a fountain of knowledge, with vision, drive and empathy, she was very well respected and loved by her patients and colleagues alike.  

An outstanding occupational therapist, one of Fiona’s favourite sayings was ‘Medicine can add days to life, but OTs can add life to days’.  

What an inspiration she was. A beautiful and generous soul inside and out, with a smile that lit up her face, Fiona loved to travel widely, both in this country and to more remote parts of the world. One of her loves was walking in the Highlands of Scotland.  

A passionate supporter of Partners for Progress, raising money to support and educate girls in a remote village school in Nepal. Fiona travelled with her daughter to visit the school, where her daughter had worked as a volunteer.  

After being diagnosed with incurable cancer, Fiona sadly died in June 2022, leaving behind her beloved son, daughter, partner and brother, along with her soulmate Poppy her dog. 

Trish Garland- Higgins and Carol Dowden, Continuing Healthcare Occupational Therapist 

Jane Terry was a wonderful occupational therapist for over 20 years, before she retired in 2017.

Jane started her working life in retail and worked at Pearson’s department store in Nottingham for eight years. Then in 1992, Jane studied to be an occupational therapist at Derby University and went onto to work across a number of hospitals in Nottingham, before specialising in stroke rehabilitation. Jane was an occupational therapy assistant before starting her degree.

In 2010, Jane, who was working in the CityCare community stroke team in Nottingham, took on the role of a diffusion fellow as part of an NIHR (National Institute for Health Research) Collaboration for Leadership in Allied Healthcare and Research (CLAHRC) funded research project at the University of Nottingham. The focus of this study was ‘Return to work after stroke’.

Being a diffusion fellow meant she was a conduit for information from the real world of NHS (National Health Service) stroke rehabilitation into the study and paved the way for the research findings to be translated back into clinical practice.

She helped with so many aspects of the study; piloting questionnaires with her patients and colleagues, interviewing research participants about the intervention they had received, and contributing to writing journal articles and conference presentations and workshops with clinicians to discuss and disseminate research findings.

At the end of this study, CityCare commissioners agreed to fund a year of Jane’s time implementing the new Early Stroke Specific Vocational Rehabilitation (ESSVR) model, resulting from the study in the community stroke team.

This involved working with patients to provide vocational rehabilitation to help them return to work.

Historically there has always been a big gap between research and its implementation in the real world. Jane was not only implementing research findings into practice straight away and closing this gap effectively, but she helped the research team to think about how to overcome the barriers to making this happen elsewhere.

She helped the academic team think pictorially, generating models that are still used in teaching and when presenting the research findings.

After the three-year research study, Jane continued to be involved with research at Nottingham University and became one of the mentors for the RETAKE trial.

This is a national multicentre trial testing the effectiveness of ESSVR. Jane supported occupational therapists in Nottingham, Swansea and Sheffield, who had been trained in ESSVR, to implement it in practice, troubleshooting and overcoming the barriers to ensure it was delivered as intended.

Despite their experience in stroke rehabilitation, many had never previously been involved in research or delivered vocational rehabilitation interventions to help stroke survivors return to work.

Drawing on her own expertise in vocational rehabilitation, Jane encouraged and gave them confidence as they adopted this new role in the study.

Jane was a very knowledgeable, insightful and inspirational occupational therapist. She made a huge difference to the patients and colleagues she worked with and contributed greatly to the development of new knowledge through her involvement in research.

Jane was always focused on the ultimate goal of better outcomes for stroke survivors and how to improve rehabilitation and occupational therapy to achieve that. She helped others focus on what really mattered.

We are so fortunate to have had this wonderful woman in our lives.

With contributions from Mary Grant, Kate Radford and Julie Phillips, University of Nottingham.

Professor Averil Stewart was a highly respected occupational therapist with vision, integrity, phenomenal work ethic and an enduring belief in the contribution of occupation to human life. Four elements stand out as you review her professional life: 

Her lifelong service to the profession and wide range of expertise 

From student days, Averil took part in committees and working groups ranging from Regional to National and International level always at the cusp of change. For example, the merging of the Scottish Association of Occupational Therapy with the British Association of Occupational Therapy and she was pivotal as the profession moved towards degree education.  

She was Chairman of the Council for Professions Supplementary to Medicine for six years and the first Education Officer. From her first post within Liff Hospital, Dundee where she met her long-term friend and colleague, the late Ann Carnduff, former students comment on her energy, mentorship and early pioneering work with children who had autism.   

Her practitioner experience ranged from mental health, work in the community and later her move to Sussex and a District Head post.   

Averil contributed to key textbooks and with her colleague Dr Irene Paterson made the case for a third occupational therapy school in Scotland and this work became the basis for her Fellowship of the College of Occupational Therapy (by examination) in 1980. This was also amongst the first contributions towards formal research in the profession. 

Her commitment to education and vision for the future  

Averil completed her teaching diploma in 1972 and after teaching in both Glasgow and Edinburgh she became Head of Occupational Therapy at Queen Margaret College (now University) in the mid 1980s. 

She knew that education is more than the accumulation of knowledge and skills and encouraged interprofessional education, ERASMUS initiatives involving learning and placements internationally and was a staunch supporter of the European Network of Occupational Therapy Education. 

She actively supported staff to travel and network on a global stage. In 1997, she was the driving force behind the celebration of the Diamond Jubilee of Occupational Therapy Education in Scotland attended by HRH the Princess Royal.  

After retirement, she gave masterclasses on the occupations of retirement resulting in one student exclaiming ‘when does she sleep?’ Indeed, this was a question that colleagues often pondered! 

Her commitment to colleagues and being collegiate 

Averil was a supportive leader who maintained a stable workforce. She was also a valued colleague by other professions within the university.  She was a caring, loyal, an able advocate for QMU and was actively involved in the transition from the status of college towards university.  

This commitment to others extended to her formation of the Retired Occupational Therapists group, affectionately known as the 'ROTS'. 

Formal recognition of her contribution and achievements   

Averil became the first Professor of Occupational Therapy in the UK in 1992, and in the same year gave the prestigious Elizabeth Casson Memorial Lecture.  

Notably in 2007, she was awarded the honour of Professor Emeritus. Averil ‘wore’ those accolades lightly, preferring to facilitate the development of others and she remained a little bemused that she had been awarded those honours. 

Averil leaves an enduring legacy both within the profession and within the university. However, she was always keen to 'pay forward' and initiated the Professor Averil Stewart International Award for any student, recent graduate or member of staff who contributed to internationalisation. 

Occupational therapists will remember Averil for many years, marvel at her effervescence and be grateful for her generosity of spirit.  She is woven into the narrative of both occupational therapy and Queen Margaret University and she will be minded kindly.  

Contributed by: Dr Sheena EE Blair, Dr Linda Renton, Dr Irene Paterson and Reverend Clephane Hume 

It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Daphne Piegrome, BSc OT, MPA, on 19 April 2022. Daphne died peacefully and without any pain at the Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother hospital in Margate, Kent.

In her memory, Barbara, Sue, Vivienne, Patricia and Caroline share some of her story.

Daphne trained as an occupational therapist in the UK, but worked for many years in America, at one point working closely with Gary Kielhofner.

Daphne returned to the UK to develop the first opportunity in England to study for an honours degree in occupational therapy. Daphne was appointed the Head of the Department of Occupational Therapy at Christchurch College, Canterbury in May 1987. She was always proud of the stain glass window she designed, portraying the Phoenix in the new occupational therapy training block.

Sue: After Daphne retired from Christchurch she decided to return to practice. As she lived in Canterbury, she joined the local office of the Occupational Therapy Bureau, Kent County Council.

Being the senior practitioner occupational therapist at the time, I was asked to supervise her. I viewed this with great trepidation, because I had only known Daphne as a highly intelligent, professional and formidable Principal of the Occupational Therapy degree course.

But Daphne came to work with us with a huge degree of humility, knowing she had been out of practice and needing to embrace the role of a community occupational therapist, and so made life easy.

As well as getting to grips with the vagaries of DFGs, her vast experience meant that she could not help but mentor me too and we had many thought-provoking sessions together.

This time working with her was hugely rewarding and great fun, and I remember with fondness this brilliant woman and amazing occupational therapist.

Barbara, Vivienne, Pat, and Caroline: After Daphne retired from practice, she maintained her professional interest in the world of occupational therapy and happily mentored and guided us through a research project we were carrying out.

Many lunches and afternoon teas were held discussing our literature review, methodology, findings and conclusion. We were delighted to be accepted to present this work at the RCOT Annual Conference in 2002.

The lunches, afternoon teas and meals out continued under the guise of the ‘Research Group’. Daphne continued to encourage us to explore new

research and concern ourselves with evidence-based practice. Daphne’s continued to be interested in occupational therapy and all the latest thinking.

Daphne was a passionate advocate for the profession of occupational therapy, having a huge influence in education and practice. She will be missed by colleagues, friends and family.

It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Dr Sally Beckwith on 13th February 2021. In thinking about what to say, what would do justice to such a phenomenal woman, we have drawn upon the messages and memories from colleagues and students current and past who knew Sally and held her in high regard.

Sally trained as an occupational therapist at the Liverpool College of Occupational Therapy. She worked clinically for many years, starting her career at the deaf unit at Springfield Hospital in Tooting, London. She always had a love for crafts and improving the health and wellbeing of people through activity, and she went on to bring her ingenuity and creativity to education.

Sally’s first teaching post was at London South Bank University (LSBU) in 1991, where she spent more than 25 years. Following this she went on to work at Birkbeck College, the University of Ulster, and as a consultant researcher with the British HIV Association. Most recently Sally worked at King’s College London and in a such a short time, as she did wherever she worked, she was able to convey her expertise and warmth to both colleagues and students. In addition, she took on a new challenge as the first Chair of the Board of Trustees at Luminary Bakery, a social enterprise designed to offer opportunities for women to build a future for themselves and to break cycles of poverty, violence and disadvantage once and for all. Throughout this time, Sally continued to be involved at LSBU and remained a valued and well-respected colleague and friend.

Sally was an exceptional and inspirational educator with a fierce intellect and curiosity who was passionate about lifelong learning and practised what she preached. Her students experienced a genuine care and concern about how and what they were learning, but Sally also learnt from them, always reflecting upon how things could be improved and enhanced, and despite a wealth of experience, never afraid to say she didn’t know, and be open to changing and adapting.

Sally was an advocate for social justice. She understood that everyone has the potential to learn, and she helped her students to transcend the social and structural barriers that convince so many people that higher education isn’t for them. This was evident in her research which looked at how best to support older students returning to study, their struggles and successes. Sally completed her PhD in five years part-time and passed with no corrections, an amazing and rare achievement and a testament to her originality and brilliance.

Sally’s knowledge of British Sign Language meant she was able to ensure the needs of deaf students were recognised. She was a champion for promoting the inclusion of service user perspectives into the training of health care professionals, not simply to tick a box, but to give authenticity and meaning to what was being taught. For Sally, equity and fairness were integral to who she was. She could imagine a better place and she enabled her students to thrive and succeed. Her ambitions were more for her students and the people she supported rather than for herself. She was always generous and kind in giving time and space to students and colleagues, making them feel valued and heard and letting them shine.

As a lifelong learner, Sally drew upon all her experiences to support and encourage others, which gave her empathy and wisdom. It also meant she was passionate about enabling women to achieve their full potential, from which her colleagues, students and friends all benefitted. She was able to bring joy and humour to her work, so it really was a pleasure and a delight to be her colleague. We think she really got the fact that it is about the journey and she enjoyed every step.

Sally’s impact has been immense. There are thousands of occupational therapists and health and social care professionals practising today who are more rounded, thoughtful, and reflective practitioners because of being taught by Sally. An occupational therapist to the end, she ensured her students maximised their learning opportunities through meaningful educational activity. We know that when they are asked about an inspirational teacher, it will be Dr Sally Beckwith that comes to mind.

Harriet Storey (formerly Harriet Gurr) sadly passed away on 20 August 2021; she continued to fight the cancer right until the very end and was not prepared to give up. She spent her last moments being well looked after by the hospice and with her husband and family around her.

In her memory, Jane, Shirley and Owen share some of her story….

Having impressed us immensely with her friendly enthusiasm and creative practical no-nonsense answers at interview, I was very proud to give Harriet her first job as an occupational therapist in 2012 in social care.

She quickly settled into the team and worked tirelessly alongside a multidisciplinary team of occupational therapists, social workers and care managers, building excellent rapport with clients and colleagues alike, always sharing a joke or something amusing she had picked up on her travels, to make the day go better.

She was a talented person with endless energy, a penchant for finding solutions to any problems and always had so much to give everyone. She could turn her hand to any aspect of the job working effectively in all areas she tried, equipment, adaptations, moving and handling activity and enablement.

She was a good all-round occupational therapist who inspired so many people. Harriet was loved and respected by everyone she worked with and touched so many lives in her work. Everyone felt better for working with Harriet.

We were devastated when she decided to spread her wings and move to work in the NHS, but Harriet being Harriet, kept in touch and continued to work with us in close partnership. She was such a wonderful person and is missed by everyone in social care.

Harriet joined Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust as a senior occupational therapist in January 2017, working as part of a community-based therapy team on the rehab unit at West View in Tenterden.

She had so much potential and ambition it was not a surprise when she was successful in obtaining a clinical lead post in a new emerging team, Home with Support. She was involved in the development and growth of this team and it has since merged with the Rapid Response Team to become the Acute Response Team (ART).

I started to notice Harriet when she was successful in her new post as clinical lead occupational therapist for ART. This was a new emerging team and I was impressed by Harriet’s passion to improve the delivery of occupational therapy. Harriet was such an integral member of the team, supporting junior staff of all professions in building the key skills required to support vulnerable people in the community.

Harriet had that quality of making you laugh even when situations seemed overwhelming, she always had an optimistic view. I know that her colleagues and the patients that she had been involved with would say the same thing.

Our thoughts are with Harriet’s husband Dan, her family and her friends. Harriet was an inspiration to all of us.

Having worked with Harriet on and off for several years in different roles, it was always clear that Harriet excelled in each area that she worked in. She had excellent communication skills and an infectious positivity; there was not a member of the team who had a negative word to say about her.

Harriet was dedicated to her team and when she was part of setting up a new service; she worked tirelessly to ensure that both patients and staff were satisfied with the support that they were getting. Even on the busiest or stressful of days, Harriet had the wonderful ability to motivate and rally those around her effortlessly.

Messages have been pouring in from staff who have worked with her over the years and emphasising how highly regarded she was by everyone. Harriet was always willing to support anyone in need and was forever warm and welcoming. She was a passionate advocate for occupational therapy and is a tremendous loss both as a colleague and friend to many.

-

- Jane Miller: principal occupational therapist, Kent County Council
- Shirley Rashid: professional lead adult occupational therapy, Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust
- Owen Leach: deputy clinical resource manager for the Acute Response Team, Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust

On behalf of Bridget’s many colleagues from North East Hampshire and West Surrey this memorial is written to mark the death and celebrate the life of an occupational therapist who made a huge contribution to the profession and who was instrumental in developing the personal and professional lives of so many. 

Bridget’s heart had been set on a career in occupational therapy since her schooldays, when she was inspired by occupational therapist Molly Dinwiddie (dec’d) who treated her following a fractured clavicle sustained after a fall from a gymnastics horse. 

However, the profession still being in its early stages of development, Bridget was advised to pursue a career in architecture, although after two years of study she abandoned the course to follow her original vocation and train at Botleys Park Hospital, where she graduated as an occupational therapist in 1961.

After graduating, Bridget gained wide experience; initially at Medway Hospital, where she became involved with the Medway Paraplegic Sports Club, going with a representative and successful team to the Stoke Mandeville Games, a precursor of what is now the Paralympics. 

This interest continued when Bridget moved to work in the Spinal Injuries Unit at Stoke Mandeville. 

Her career continued with a move abroad, pursuing her love of foreign culture and languages, to work at the Bad Ragaz Clinic in the Swiss Alps, a truly international, multilingual community, and later to Heidelberg and Geneva. 

Her travels then took her to the United States, to work in Boston and San Diego. All these experiences provided Bridget with a breadth and depth of occupational therapy skills from which her future colleagues and patients were to benefit. 

It was in 1981 that the Surrey/Hampshire Border area was fortunate to recruit Bridget when she returned to this country, on the death of her father, to care for her mother who was living with Multiple Sclerosis. 

For 20 years, first at Frimley Park and later at Farnham Hospital, Bridget worked as Head Occupational Therapist and then as District Head Occupational Therapist. She encouraged individuals to train as occupational therapists, developed the skills and confidence of those she managed and promoted the profession in a variety of settings in the area. 

She was instrumental in setting up a YPD Unit, a local Wheelchair Service and a Community Rehabilitation team in the district. The latter two initiatives continue to thrive and grow. 

Bridget’s personal qualities of intelligence, efficiency, wisdom and hard work contributed to the effective occupational therapist that she was and this, combined with personal warmth, kindness and a sense of humour made her a respected leader of the occupational therapy services she managed. 

The patients’ needs were always in the forefront of her mind, driving her vision and desire to develop high quality, evidence-based interventions and she was not afraid to push boundaries when required. 

Many in the patient population, within the occupational therapy profession and in the wider healthcare community have reason to be grateful to Bridget for her empathy, genuine interest and desire to help each individual achieve their best. She had a wicked sense of humour and invariably had a twinkle in her eye! 

Bridget retired in December 1994 and following the death of her mother in 2000 moved to Devon where she upsized into a spacious, newly renovated Regency house in which she lived for 20 years with her cats and beloved whippet, Twiggy. 

Her house quickly became a focal point for creative and social activities and a base for a constant stream of lodgers, guests and visitors. She joined her parish church and a wide range of local groups, participating in and contributing to all their activities. Here she was able to fully indulge her occupational therapy and creative skills both for her own pleasure and to the benefit of the community. 

Bridget had a deep religious faith, which underpinned her concern not only for people but for the entire animal kingdom and the environment, which she constantly sought to protect.

She supported a wide range of charities helping communities and animals worldwide. Her final years were somewhat marred by ill health and the onset of Parkinson’s and Motor Neurone Disease, which she bore with amazing cheerfulness and fortitude, and her house was a haven of welcome right up to her final days. 

Contributions from Val Hardy,  Barbara Haworth,  Theresa Hopwood and Val Clinch.

Ann Carnduff was born in Port Said in 1944. Her parents met when working together on a hospital ship in the eastern Mediterranean. Her mother (Bill) was a nurse in the Queen Alexandra’s Nursing Corps and her father (John) a surgeon who had joined the Indian Medical Corps.

After the war they lived in Glasgow, where he became Consultant Physician at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children.

When Ann was four she caught polio, which was initially mild, but became a major constraint and motivator over her life.

While at Park School in Glasgow, a major operation (1955) held her back a year. She was not impressed by the attitude of the physiotherapists, but met an occupational therapist, June Bolton, whose empathy determined her career.

Later she had several operations on her hips and ankles, not all totally successful. Over the years she calmly coped with the effects of progressing nerve damage, helped by NHS support, a Motability car and green crutches.

She attended the Occupational Therapy Training Centre, Astley Ainslie Hospital, Edinburgh from 1962 to 1965, and after gaining her diploma worked in the Royal Dundee Liff Hospital alongside Averil Stewart. They shared a flat, a car and many weekends away. In spite of the weak leg, she climbed mountains with members of the Grampian Club, including her husband-to-be, John Carnduff.

They married in 1970, moved to Glasgow and stayed in Airlie Hall of Residence and then bought a house in Alderman Road. Ann worked in psychiatry at Gartnavel Royal Hospital, prior to the birth of her son, Ian.

After bringing up their children, Ian and Susy, and graduating from the Open University with a BA in Art and Literature (1984), while working as a community occupational therapist in the east end of Glasgow, in 1985 Ann became lecturer and then Head in the Glasgow Occupational Therapy school (which became part of Queens College and then of Glasgow Caledonian University) until retiring in 2001.

Averil was Head of the Edinburgh school at this time, at Queen Margaret University.

Ann had become interested in occupational therapy politics while in Dundee and was elected onto the Council of the Scottish Association of Occupational Therapists, and, up to the amalgamation of the Scottish Association and the Association of Occupational Therapists, served on the joint Council.

Following the amalgamation of the two associations to form the College of Occupational Therapists, she held a series of posts with COT, involving fortnightly trips to London: Regional Council, National Council, Vice-chairman in 1989, chair of Ethics, Chair of Practice Development, Chair of Education and Practice Board.

In 2001 she was surprised and delighted to be made a Fellow of COT.

Ann took part in world conferences in Melbourne in 1990 and Montreal in 1998.

In 1995, in Aarhus in Denmark, the European Network of Occupational Therapy in Higher Education (ENOTHE) was established and Ann was elected as the first Secretary and later as Quality Assurance Manager. She participated actively in the annual ENOTHE meetings and contributed to working group meetings in various European cities.

She enjoyed the international work very much and also encouraged her students to take part in ENOTHE projects.

Between 1996 and 2007 she was involved in several European projects upgrading occupational therapy education in the Czech Republic, Georgia and Armenia, training occupational therapy teachers in Romania, Bulgaria and Hungary, and teaching about the basis of occupational therapy in Belarus and Poland.

In 2008, Ann and Ulla Runge presented an interesting talk on the parallels in their lives - disability, work and approach.

In 2002, Ann trained to be a panel member for the Children’s Hearings System in Scotland, which makes decisions for the benefit of children who have committed offences or (more frequently) who had offences afflicting their lives. She volunteered in Glasgow and, after moving to Dollar in 2015, in Clackmannanshire, sitting on panels and training others over 18 years.

She also enjoyed many cycling holidays in France, wheelchair curling, book groups, swimming and, more recently, seated pilates, and drawing and painting with pals in Glasgow and Dollar.

During COVID-19 lockdown she would still propel her wheelchair on trails around Dollar.

Ann was a great ambassador for the profession throughout her career, being known both nationally and internationally. However, family was always central in her life, as were her many friends with whom she kept in touch.  

She lived life to the full, despite the increasing restrictions of her disability. She will always be remembered for her enthusiasm, commitment, loyalty, hospitality, generosity and joie de vivre – an inspiration to all of us.

Contributed by family and retired colleagues

Reflections and memoriam on the lady with the enormous smile, by Catriona Khamisha

Ann Carnduff, was the former Head of Division of Occupational Therapy at GCU. I first met Ann in 1994 when invited to meet with her and Mary Donald, another member of staff whom many will remember, at Southbrae Campus, about a part-time temporary post.

Ann knew I was recently a first time mum and immediately put me at ease by inviting my daughter along too. So, in late summer of 1994, I rocked up with daughter in a push chair; it’s difficult to decide who had the biggest smile, my daughter, Ann or Mary.

Ann was a striking woman with short ginger hair, and dimples when she smiled; this was what you first noticed before her walking stick.

She was welcoming and informative about the potential post. The occupational therapy programme expected many more students to commence in September than it had been validated for. Also, the programme was being reviewed with plans for a new model of placement.

A new member of staff was needed to find suitable placement sites, design and carry out risk assessments, meetings and support all the work needed to produce guidance for the programme re-validation and training to start these placements.

I was warned it might be a struggle, because this would be a new model of full-time placement in the UK (later called role emerging placements).

Over the  seven years I worked with Ann, I discovered she was a strong advocate of occupational therapy, creative, forward-thinking, open minded, always a supportive manager and colleague.

She had a large circle of friends and close colleagues, was a wonderful family-orientated person, who loved her family and had a very loyal and long friendship with Mary Donald. Ann, was a gracious hostess, had a wonderful sense of humour and always a genuine smile (and was a great cook).

We cannot underestimate the contribution that Ann made to the profession and to GCU. Ann first experienced occupational therapy when she contracted polio as a child, that encounter left a lasting impression on her; so much so, that she qualified as an occupational therapist in 1965 and entered her first clinical post in Dundee.

In 1984, she commenced work with Glasgow School of Occupational Therapy at Sherbrooke Avenue and later with Queen’s College/Glasgow Caledonian University. In 1991, Ann was appointed Head of Occupational Therapy, she was a creative innovator and oversaw the development of the BSc programme in 1992, the BSc Hons in 1994 and in 2000 the first pre-registration MSc for Occupational Therapy in the UK (Runge and Carnduff 2009).

Throughout her career, Ann was involved with the professional body, first with the Scottish Association and then the (Royal) College of Occupational Therapists. She was on several different committees and ultimately chairperson of the Education and Research Board and vice-chairperson of Council.

Ann was also involved in several European projects; in 1995 she became the first secretary to the fledgling European Network of Occupational Therapy in Higher Education (ENOTHE). In 2000, Ann was awarded a Fellowship of the College of Occupational Therapists, and said: ‘The award was one of the most exciting and rewarding days of my life’ (Runge and Carnduff 2009).

Ann retired from GCU in 2001, but her passion for occupational therapy and the promotion of the profession continued through her involvement with RCOT as a retired member.

Sadly, Ann passed away on 25 June 2020, but her legacy lives on, professionally, academically and at home. Ann was a wonderful person, the ultimate professional and cared deeply for her friends and family, she is survived by her husband John, son Ian and daughter Susy.

For those who do remember Ann, you will find the link below to the Herald announcement with the opportunity to leave a message of warmth for her family and friends: https://www.heraldscotland.com/announcements/deaths/deaths/18552411.Ann_Carnduff.

Reference

Runge U and Carnduff A (2009) Learning from the past: Reflections on two lives with Polio and occupational therapy. The British Journal of Occupational Therapy, 72(12): 562-566. https://doi.org/10.4276/030802209X12601857794934

Beryl Steeden looks back at the unique and esteemed career of Ann Allart Wilcock

Occupational therapists and occupational scientists around the world were saddened to learn of the death of Ann Allart Wilcock (nee Ellison) PhD, BAppScOT, GradDipPH, FCOT on 16 October 2019, in Adelaide, Australia.

Ann made a huge contribution to the profession as a visionary thinker, superb communicator, writer, researcher and teacher, and was always such fun to be with.

Her influence within and understanding of the international occupational therapy profession was key to the then-British Association and College of Occupational Therapists in commissioning Ann to write two seminal books on the history of the profession, almost two decades ago.

In fact, the UK can be proud to claim her as their own. Born in 1940, she was brought up in the Lake District and trained at the Derby School, qualifying as an occupational therapist in 1961.

She often talked of her early need to think about the purpose of the profession because, in order to obtain a grant for her course, at 16 years of age, she had to convince the Westmorland Education Authority of the value of funding her.

No occupational therapists were employed in Westmoreland at that time. Needless to say, she persuaded them. Ann remembered her time at the Derby School with great affection. In 2004, she was delighted to become an Honorary Doctor of the University of Derby in a very special ceremony.

After working for a short time at Black Notley Hospital, then at Farnham Park Rehabilitation Centre, with Peggy Jay and Mary S Jones, she became a ‘ten pound pom‘, sailing to Australia in 1964. She went on to marry her first husband Derek Wilcock - the purser she met on the trip - in that same year.

In 1966, her first co-authored book ‘Help yourselves: A handbook for hemiplegics and their families’, was published by Butterworth.

After many years as a practitioner, she moved into academia. Her second book ‘Occupational therapy approaches to stroke’ was published by Churchill Livingstone in 1986, before she eventually became head of the School of Occupational Therapy at the University of South Australia in 1987.

There, she established master’s level papers in occupational science and supervised doctorate students, many of whom continue her work in promoting occupational science and building knowledge of the multiple ways the things we do impact health and shape society.

Her academic career culminated as the first Professor of Occupational Science and Therapy, at Deakin University. She was appointed to establish a completely new and innovative programme, combining the two disciplines. It was a thrill to visit in 2004.

Ann’s work was little known in the UK in the 1970s and 1980s, but her research interests had led her to an understanding of the human need for occupation, and the relationship between occupation, health, illness, occupational therapy and public health.

I was fortunate enough to first encounter her in 1990, at the World Congress of Occupational Therapists in Melbourne, as a participant on her ‘Occupational therapy and public health’ pre congress course.

She had recently completed her PhD thesis in public health. It was a truly light bulb experience for me and the other participants, including Marilyn Pattison now president of the World Federation of Occupational Therapists (WFOT).

We remained friends for almost 30 years after, before her death this year. Ann also gave one of her first papers on occupational science at this congress, published in the British Journal of Occupational Therapy in 1991.

Ann had never been back to the UK, but was persuaded to return to give a keynote presentation at the first occupational science conference hosted by the-then College of Occupational Therapists, and attended by our Patron, Her Royal Highness the Princess Royal.

She soon became a regular visitor, contributing to many COT events, also as a visiting professor at London Brunel University, giving the Doris Sym memorial lecturer in 1999 - Doris being the founder and first Principal of the Glasgow School of Occupational Therapy - and for many other contributions.

Ann saw the highlight of her career as encouraging the development of occupational science as an international and interdisciplinary force. As well as introducing occupational science to Australasia, she founded the Journal of Occupational Science as inaugural editor in 1993, and was elected as the first President of the International Society of Occupational Scientists. Of course she also had a huge influence on its introduction to the UK.

Never standing still, Ann was always looking to share her passion for the power of occupation and her evolving insights, in presentations and publications.

She was in constant demand around the world, revealing her now famous ‘Doing, Being, Becoming’ definition to a standing ovation at the WFOT Montreal Congress in 1998 - later adding the fourth ‘B’ - Belonging.

Such a priviledge for me and all of us that were there to hear it. There was a fun celebration with a real Canadian brunch later.

The development of her thinking was further charted in her keynote address on ‘Health through occupation’, at the COT annual conference in Belfast, and the books ‘An occupational perspective of health, published by Slack in 1998 and 2006.

The decision by the then-College of Occupational Therapists’ council to commission a history of occupational therapy to be written to mark the Millenium led to discussions with several possible authors. I have many memories of talking with Ann in a smokey noodle house in Hong Kong, and Ann was ultimately the commissioned historian.

‘Occupation for health: A journey from self-health to prescription (2001), was launched by the Princess Royal in the House of Lords, and this was followed by ‘Occupation for health: A journey from prescription to self-health (2002).

Ann always likened these book to writing two PhDs. Her scholarly approach revealed so many new insights for the profession and caused excitement when they were presented to international colleagues at the British Embassy in Stockholm at the WFOT Congress.

They went on to have a launch at the 2004 Occupational Therapy Australia conference in Melbourne.

Helena  Culshaw, chairman of council, was able to present Ann with her Fellowship of the College of Occupational Therapists. A memorable celebration on the Melbourne tram dinner experience followed.

Ann leaves so many wonderful memories of professional highlights and personal adventures - too many to recount here. She is missed by her many friends and colleagues, many of whom owe her a very special debt, and especially by her husband Bruce Heyward and family, to whom we send our sincere condolences.

References

• Jay PE, Walker E and Ellison A (1966) Help Yourselves: A Handbook for Hemiplegics and their Families. London: Butterworth
• Wilcock, AA (2016) The Doris Sym Memorial Lecture: Developing a Philosophy of Occupation for Health, British Journal of Occupational Therapy, 62(5): 192-198
• Wilcock, AA (1986) Occupational Therapy Approaches to Stroke. Churchill Livingstone
• Wilcock, AA (1991) Occupational science. British Journal of Occupational Therapy, 54(): 297-300 https://doi.org/10.1177/030802269105400807
• Wilcock, AA (1998) An Occupational Perspective of Health (1st Ed). Slack Incorporated
• Wilcock, AA  (2001) Occupation for Health: A Journey from Self-Health to Prescription (Vol 1). London: College of Occupational Therapists
• Wilcock, AA (2002) Occupation for Health: A Journey from Prescription to Self-Health (Vol 2). London: College of Occupational Therapists
• Beryl Steeden, previously head of membership and external affairs at the College of Occupational Therapists, and retired member

Ann Allart Wilcock has a far wider back catalogue of published work than is referenced in this article, and members can search the BJOT catalogue on CINAHL and Medline for further published work.

It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Margaret (Marg) Foster on 30 September 2019.

As a Fellow of the Royal College of Occupational Therapists, Marg was a passionate and dedicated occupational therapist who, through her work as an educator, author and editor, programme validator, external examiner and RCOT committee member, was a backbone to the maintenance of professional standards in the UK over many years.

Marg was born on a farm near Kirby Lonsdale, now in Cumbria, and kept very strong links with this part of the world. She trained at the Derby School of Occupational Therapy in the mid 1960s, beginning her professional life working at Buxton and then at the Derbyshire Royal Infirmary, before returning to her roots to become a lecturer at the then Derby School of Occupational Therapy.

Marg was active in maintaining professional standards through a number of roles. She was an outstanding teacher and lecturer, someone who got to know her students really well.

She was central to the development of the new Diploma 81 in Occupational Therapy at Derby, and then, when Derby School became part of the University of Derby, led the development of their first BSc Occupational Therapy programme, helping to develop some of the earliest varieties of access routes through the degree; full time, part-time and accelerated, before finally becoming subject leader.

Marg is probably best known as author and joint editor, together with Annie Turner and Sybil Johnson, of a book that became an essential text for both students and practitioners in the UK.

Entitled ‘Occupational therapy and physical dysfunction: Principles, skills and practice’, it was first published in 1981. Their final edition was published in 2002, although the text has continued into its seventh edition*.

Whenever a new edition was due, Marg would be off to editorial meetings and checking that everything was absolutely spot on. The text, while initially focused on UK practice, gained both a national and international market as its focus, authors and editorial team grew a wider global perspective.

A true educator, Marg was a national examiner at a range of universities, as well as presenting at professional conferences both nationally and internationally. She was a strong supporter of the ERASMUS programme, which enables students to do part of their course in Europe, and arranged for students from Derby to study in both Holland and Sweden.

Marg was always fully involved in the Royal College of Occupational Therapists, serving on a range of committees, including the Education and Practice Board, acting as Council alternate for education, and professionally validating pre- and post-registration programmes of study throughout the UK.

In 2007, she was awarded a Fellowship of the Royal College of Occupational Therapists. When she retired she became a trustee of RCOT’s pension fund, a role she took on with her usual skill and commitment and which she was still carrying out until early 2019.

Always intensely active and sociable and a lover of the outdoors, Marg continued working, skiing, driving and cycling despite the removal of an eye due to cancer.

She remained at home until the last couple of weeks of her life and died peacefully in Derby Royal Hospital on 30 September 2019. Our thoughts are with her husband of over 50 years, Graham, her two children, Alex and Nick, their spouses and her grand-daughters.

Carol Lloyd, Emeritus professor of occupational therapy, University of Derby, and Annie Turner, Emeritus professor of occupational therapy, University of Northampton

*Curtin M, Egan M and Adams J (2017) Occupational therapy for people experiencing illness, injury or impairments: Promoting occupation and participation (Ed 7) Elsevier Edinburgh.