My good friend Michael Pickersgill, who has died aged 76, had a deep dedication to the scouting motion and took dozens of younger folks on camps throughout Europe. Scouting, instructing, the Nationwide Liberal Membership, the Knights of the Spherical Desk charity and his household have been all necessary to him.
Having joined the scouts as a schoolboy, and turn out to be an assistant district commissioner on the age of 25, in 1983 he was made one in all Better London’s county commissioners in scouting. For greater than 30 years Michael was additionally a member of the Nationwide Liberal Membership (NLC), and its chairman between 2014 and 2017. He was massively proud to see his identify on the board within the lobby, beneath that of William Gladstone, the primary chairman.
At the moment the Savage Membership (a gentleman’s membership named after the poet Richard Savage) was based mostly on the NLC in London, which is the place l first met Michael. He was so useful to the Savage Membership that we made him an honorary life member and he was at all times a welcome sight in our clubroom, gin and tonic in hand.
Michael was born in Pimlico, central London, the primary little one of George Pickersgill, a phone engineer, and his spouse Joan (nee Hunnex). He was educated on the close by St Michael’s faculty earlier than the household moved to Chiswick, the place he remained for the remainder of his life.
His first job was on the outdated Middlesex Assizes, now the house of the supreme courtroom in Parliament Sq., a job that gave him a fund of an anecdotes in regards to the extra strident judges who sat there within the late Sixties. However his curiosity lay in training, and he turned a faculty welfare officer for the outdated Interior London Training Authority in in 1969 earlier than coaching as a instructor at Whitelands School in Roehampton (1971-74).
His first instructing job was on the Cardinal Manning Faculty in Kensington, in 1974. A dedicated Roman Catholic, he turned headteacher of St Aloysius’ faculty in Highgate in 1991. He later joined a administration consultancy agency, the place he remained till his retirement.
In 2010 he joined the Knights of the Spherical Desk charity. As knight steward from 2015, Michael was accountable for the organisation of their formal dinners and occasions. Sadly, his well being and mobility declined in order that he was ultimately unable to attend, however he was nonetheless arranging occasions till shortly earlier than his dying.
Michael lived together with his brother, Mark, who survives him.
