In Memory of John Hallett

John Hallett died in the morning on 30 March, aged 97.

He had advanced Alzheimers, and was living in a lovely care home near Retford. His passing was peaceful, and he was not alone – one of the staff at the home was with him right at the end. The care he received at Lound Hall was exemplary, and we are so very grateful to the staff there.

His last few years might have been spent in the fog of dementia, and even before that, his sight loss, due to macular degeneration, increasingly restricted his active life, but his life story is full of bold ideas and decisions, of travel, of leadership. His father wanted John to follow him into the Civil Service but instead his fascination with aircraft and flight led him to an apprenticeship with de Havillands, and when his conscience made him unwilling to work on military aircraft, he trained as a teacher. When he and Cecily married, they started thinking about a move to West Africa, and he did a part-time Physics & Maths degree so he could qualify for a post there. They then flew out to Ghana, with their three children - Cath, Aidan and Claire. Greg was born in Kumasi in 1962.

John's next change of direction led him to abandon science research for a career in education, which led him to Zaria in Northern Nigeria, and from there to Trent Poly where he worked in the Education department, training teachers, and at the time of his retirement was Head of Department. His next bold idea was a charity that linked up retired teachers and education specialists with projects in various parts of the world, and this work still continues. After Cecily's death he threw himself into this, and travelled very widely (India, Kosovo, Paraguay, South Africa, Iraq, to name but a few of the countries he worked in).

A Methodist lay preacher, he regularly led worship at churches in small villages in Ghana, and after our return to the UK was involved in the leadership of Ravenshead Free Church and then Ashwood Church in Kirkby. He was a runner – not fast as he only had short legs, but with great stamina, as he proved when he completed the London Marathon, aged 63. And he marked his 90th by doing a sky dive!

We remember him as a Dad, Grandpa and Great-Grandpa, but also as that man of bold ideas and decisions, that traveller to remote places, that leader, innovator and educator.

John Dennis Hallett, 26 December 1927 - 30 March 2025