Vale Master Gwynfor
It is
with great sadness and a heavy heart that I bring news of the passing of one of the populace.
Master Gwynfor was known and loved by many, and this day his struggle with illness came to an end peaceably in his sleep.
Our condolences to his family, and the thoughts, hopes and wishes are with them on this the most difficult of days.
His struggle is over, he fought valiantly, like the true warrior he was. May he rest now and not be forgotten.
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For those of you far and unable to attend the service of Gwynfor Lwyd, mka Peter Ryan, I have uploaded the tribute presentations for you to view.
2) you can make a donation to the Australian Cancer Research Foundation at the following site. http://www.acrf.com.au/ If you want to send card, address is 2 Sherwood Road, Mt Waverley 3149 VIC Australia
3) make sure you give those around you the encouragement to make a positive effort with a kind word, act of kindness or even just a hug.
Yours in Service,
– Baroness Nicolette Dufay
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The tree is hewn, the glass is broken;
Gone are you from these, our shores.
Master Gwynfor, Peter Ryan,
Make ye merry evermore;
Bright Valhalla’s gained a hero;
Bring the rains, though, we’re made poor.
– Baron Rudolf von der Drau
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A few thoughts on a friend who passed away this morning, and in keeping with the spirit of the man I won’t keep it brief, and will begin with a digression.
If you are reading this on Facebook you will have probably seen a link to an article called “6 harsh truths that will make you a better person”. The title is misleading, there was really only one harsh truth, which can summarised as “Get off your arse and make something of yourself”. If there is one person I knew that epitomised this it was Peter. When Peter wanted to do something he set about learning how to do it. I never once heard him complain about not being able to do something because it was too hard, he just knew that if you worked at something long enough eventually the skills would come.
One of the things that Peter also worked hard on was including others. Despite the fact that he described himself as naturally introverted, he made every effort he could to include those around him in whatever activity he was involved in, and by dint of these efforts he contributed a huge amount of energy to the groups he was involved in.
If there are two lessons I could pass on from Peter’s life the first would be don’t make excuses. Don’t give up after the first try with the excuse “I’m no good at it”, don’t avoid saying hello to people because you are naturally shy, and above all don’t avoid doing something because you think failure might make you foolish, Peter really hated the “too cool to try” ethos. The other lesson is don’t smoke.
Peter did more in less than a half century of life than I think I could in a full century. He was and will continue to be an inspiration to me and others, and I know that once my sadness has passed I will be able to look back and say “He lived his life well and I am fortunate to have had the chance to know him”.
– Baron Cormac Leneihan
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1. Photograph by Lord Miguel Rodriguez de Santiago
One of my fondest memories of Master Gwynfor was his excellent performance as a goat at a surveying expedition.
A group of aspiring actors set about writing and performing a piece to entertain the populace. At the last minute, they decided they needed someone to play a goat. Master Gwynfor was asked and he happily accepted.
The play began, with everyone attempting to follow the script. Gwynfor kept interjecting and punning, as only he can, until it was decided that the role of the goat should be silent. Even silenced, he still managed to steal the show.
He was a generous man, with a can-do attitude and a wicked sense of humour. I feel honoured that I had the opportunity to know him and spend time in his company. He will be missed.
He will live though our ages, in our hearts and memories. He will always be missed.