My father, Bill Ogilvie, who has died aged 87, was a senior social welfare officer for the Coal Industry Social Welfare Organisation until his retirement in 1989. He worked with miners who were disabled, or approaching retirement, liaising with rehabilitation centres and retirement homes and organising brass band, art and football competitions. He also led a full life, contributing much to his community.
Born into a mining family in Ashington, Northumberland, the son of Nora Ogilvie (nee Robinson) and Tom Ogilvie, he left Park secondary school. He completed national service in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) and on returning home met Connie, also from Ashington, whom he married in 1955.
Away from work he took on roles including athletics coaching, becoming a founding member of Wansbeck Citizens Advice Bureau, sitting on the selection committee for magistrates, being a school governor, and working for the National Playing Fields Association. He was twice captain of Newbiggin Golf Club (later becoming president) and was chairman of Bomarsund Cricket Club, where he also coached junior cricketers. After Connie died in 2010 he continued to take on new responsibilities, including becoming a parish councillor.
One of Bill’s proudest moments was being nominated to run with the Olympic torch in June 2012. In 2013 he was appointed MBE for services to sport and the community in south-east Northumberland. He was thrilled at being given his MBE by Prince William, but the biggest smile he had that day was as he left Buckingham Palace and his eye was caught by a little boy standing with his parents watching what was going on. When asked by the mother what he had been in the palace for, he whipped the MBE box out of his pocket, let the boy hold it in his hand, making sure he got lots of photographs taken with the palace in the background. Bill got more of a thrill from pleasing others than anything else.
He is survived by his daughters, Helen, Alison and me, and grandchildren Hannah, Matthew, Joe and Eve.
