Obituaries
Obituaries ..........................................................................................................
The following pages contain obituaries for 46 Old Alleynians, Honorary Members and former members of the College staff who died in 2014 or earlier. A list of Old Alleynians for whom no obituary could be produced for this edition of the Yearbook can be found on page 86. If you are able to help us with details of those OAs then please contact Jim Bush (77-84), Hon Obituarist, c/o The Alleyn Club & Development Office: alleynclub @ dulwich.org. uk or +44 (0)20 8299 8436.
Dr Shakeel Sarfraz Ahmad Bhatti (1992-97) 09.08.1979 – 22.12.2014
There are plans to plant a tree at the College in memory of Shakeel. The Southwark Public Health department contributed significantly to this obituary.
As a teenager Shakeel Bhatti won a scholarship to Dulwich and went on to study medicine at University College, London, qualifying in 2003. It was in his third year at medical school that he first developed symptoms of the neurodegenerative disease, spinal cerebellar ataxia,
Reginald Arthur Bliss (1943-50) 23.03.1932 – 06.04.2013
Reg Bliss grew up in Peckham, where his parents ran an off-licence, and came to Dulwich on an LCC scholarship from Woods Road School, which was also in Peckham and is now called John Donne Primary School. He was awarded the scholarship after sitting exams in a cricket pavilion in Horsham, Sussex, where Woods Road School had been evacuated. At the College, Reg was in Marlowe and was able to broaden his experience of drama and music, often taking to the stage in various theatre productions, although jazz remained his true passion. He was also encouraged to draw and paint and, throughout his adult life, he always kept a sketch book and pencil to hand in his pocket. He was appointed a school prefect and joined the CCF, obtaining a certificate of proficiency in the Air Training Corps. He used this certificate after leaving Dulwich to do his National Service in the RAF (Signals). Despite a gift for languages, he was not posted overseas during his National Service period. This did not dishearten him, but he later joined P&O Shipping in London, and to his delight was posted to Aden in 1955. His role as a passenger officer included integrating with the passengers in port and, in order to assist fully, he was advised to learn to dance, so he enrolled at Jimmy Smalls School of Dance in Sydenham. He enjoyed his work in Aden and described wonderful parties and dances, as well as archaeological trips into the desert during his years there. But 1965 saw an escalation of conflict in the area and he returned to England for good, settling in Sevenoaks. In 1970, he joined the BBC working for the Radio Times in their publications department, retiring in 1992 at the age of 60. At the dance school in Sydenham, Reg had met Heather Hay and they were married in 1958. After a six week honeymoon travelling around Europe, they set up home in Aden where their first two daughters were born.
which led to a severe and increasing disability. The spinal cerebellar ataxias are a group of rare, inherited neurological disorders. Shakeel’s father had suffered with, and died from, the same condition. However, Shakeel was affected earlier and more severely than his father, which is a characteristic of this type of genetic disorder. The condition remains poorly understood, and at present there is still no cure. After he was no longer able to continue with clinical placements due to the ataxia in 2006, Shakeel trained in the Southwark Public Health department, first as a Senior House Officer (SHO) and then on the specialty training programme. He contributed significantly to the department’s output over the years, most recently drafting the departmental training policy and working with Transport for London on a comparative review of a subject close to his heart, comparing disabled access to public transport in London versus other European cities. Shakeel was an inspiration to us all in his life and work: the dignity and fortitude with which he accepted his condition and the future that lay ahead of him, his struggle to maintain his independence, his dry sense of humour, a daily Café Nero cappuccino, his passion for football as a supporter of Tottenham Hotspur, and his keen interest in all new technologies and how they might be applied to enable him in his work and activities of daily life. Sadly, Shakeel died unexpectedly in an accident at home on Monday 22 December. He was buried on Wednesday 31 December in the Muslim cemetery in Nunhead, his funeral service being attended by many friends and colleagues from his all too brief life.
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