Ken Garrod, 1926-2015 ............................................................Steve Piotrowski

Ken Garrod, 1926-2015

I first met Ken and his wife Jean on an SOG field trip in the late 1970s. They were both very keen birdwatchers and SOG supporters. I was then a relative newcomer to SOG and this was the first field event that I had attended as leader. It soon became apparent that it was Jean and Ken who were the real leaders - they seemed to know everybody and their bubbly enthusiasm inspired SOG members to develop further their hobby and, most importantly, enjoy their day. I was there merely to find the birds! Jean and Ken ensured that all attendees were included and were quick to query identification points, to the delight of others on the field trip who were often afraid to speak up! In those days, the planning of SOG field events was a bit hit and miss, so I seized on the opportunity to propose Jean as Outdoor Events Organiser with Ken working behind the scenes. Malcolm Bowling, who was then SOG Chairman, wrote to Jean inviting her to join our council and we were all delighted when she accepted. Initially, the role was split east/ west between Jean and Dora Berry, both being the first women SOG council members. The role was soon amalgamated with Jean looking after the whole county. For the next 30 years, Jean and Ken worked tirelessly planning events, organising the printing of the programme card and taking numerous telephone calls from SOG members enquiring about field trips or just ringing for a chat. Their friendly, inclusive, all-embracing approach undoubtedly boosted SOG’s membership. During the early 1980s, Ken was working for Eastern Counties Farmers at Ipswich Docks and he introduced us to his work colleague, Barry Lawson, a birdwatcher who had just moved down from the West Midlands. Barry was fresh from organising events for the West Midland Bird Club and Ken saw his potential for him to help SOG. Barry’s recruitment led to the birth of a regular and very professional indoor events programme. Initially, events were held at Suffolk College in Ipswich, but we also spread our wings and hosted bird evenings at Snape Maltings, Kelsale, Lowestoft and Bury St Edmunds. Jean and Ken were regular attendees and always formed the welcoming committee at the door of every show. Jean and Ken were very much part of Suffolk’s birdwatching scene and, like many others, were keen to see any rarities that visited the county. Few of us “old-school” birders will ever forget the events of January 1987! Suffolk experienced a snowfall of truly monstrous proportions, the A14 was blocked for days by snowdrifts and the Port of Felixstowe was brought to a standstill, but the birdwatching had to go on and, in particular, the monthly WeBS counts. Rumours began to circulate that a group of Great Bustards had been seen by a shooting party at Harkstead and then three were noted on a WeBS count at Kirton. Despite the treacherous weather conditions, the hunt was on and Jean and Ken joined the search party to locate the birds. They must have travelled along every country lane and scanned every single