DONATIONS
This month, receipt is acknowledged, with grateful thanks, for donations from:
Ickenham Churches’ Women’s Group; Uxbridge Choral Society; Jazz at Ruislip; Anon of Campden Road via Val Kershaw; Uxbridge and Ickenham Floral Arts Society; Adele and Laurie Beke of the Wirral.
Copy for the July issue of ICN should be with the team by 12 noon on 13th June. Please note that July’s ICN will be a little later than usual around the village; this will allow us to cover the Ickenham Festival, which has itself moved later in June than in recent years.
ALL THAT HE SURVEYS
Geoff Easton, Guest Speaker at the recent Men’s Breakfast, told us about his career as a Property Surveyor and how it was influenced by being a Christian. “The turning points in my life”, said Geoff, “occurred at the age of 17. I made the decision to train as a Property Surveyor and took another decision to become a Christian. From then on my life was a constant mixture of both these elements and I tried always to keep them in balance. I opted for public service because there the Christian outlook seemed appropriate. When I married four years later we moved to Ickenham and that’s where I’ve lived ever since.
“Most of my working life was spent in property management and I was involved in a number of local projects; these included Ruislip Lido, Breakspear House, the Hayes Bypass and Mount Vernon Health Centre. There were also six enjoyable years with Waltham Forest Council, where I was involved in economic and housing development. People needed help to establish a better standard of life and I felt I was really making a difference to the community.
“Working with Harrow Council on the St Anne’s and St George’s shopping centres involved long hours and plenty of pressure, especially when money for the projects got tight. And my last six years with the NHS was a complete change to project management but meant still working for the public good. While there we built eight clinics in six years but it was disheartening when some of these brand new clinics ran out of money for the services they were meant to provide.
“All this time I remained committed to a Christian life and have been attached to Ruislip Baptist Church. Being a good public servant is not always easy with political and economic difficulties around; I needed to rely on God at all times.”
Geoff advocated a couple of messages from the Holy Bible, including this from Jeremiah, ‘For I know the plans I have for you’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future’.
Now in retirement, Geoff’s Property Surveyor’s skills are still put to good effect, working on improvements to his beloved Ruislip Baptist Church, where he also remains active as a Deacon.
AFN
