Latest news with #RBAI
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
A distinguished civil servant who wanted to show leadership
Sir Kenneth Bloomfield was one of the most distinguished civil servants in Northern Ireland's history. During the 30 years of violence in Northern Ireland, known as the Troubles, he was a key figure behind-the-scenes, trying to ensure public services ran as normally as possible. His death was announced on Saturday. He was 94. Sir Kenneth was born in Belfast on 15 April 1931 and he was educated at Royal Belfast Academical Institution (RBAI) and Oxford University. He entered the Northern Ireland Civil Service in 1952. Four years later, he was appointed private secretary to the then Stormont finance minister Capt Terence O'Neill. He rose through the ranks of the civil service and in January 1974 he was given a key role working with the new power-sharing executive, led by Ulster Unionist Party leader Brian Faulkner. Unionist and nationalist politicians came together to govern for the first time but the cross-community executive collapsed after five months due to hard-line unionist opposition, including a loyalist workers strike. In 1988, the IRA tried to kill Sir Kenneth at his family home in Crawfordsburn, near Bangor, County Down, in a Semtex bomb attack. A colleague who was in the civil service at the time remembers how calm Sir Kenneth was after the bombing. Sir Nigel Hamilton, who also became head of the Northern Ireland Civil Service, said: "Within an hour (of the bombing) he had put out a statement and within a couple of hours he was back in the office, working again. "He wanted to show leadership. "He wanted to show that we were all resilient and he wasn't going to be deflected from his public sector service because of what had happened." After he retired, Sir Kenneth reflected on the downfall of power-sharing in May 1974. He said: "It was the worst day of my official career of nearly 40 years – it was the worst single day. I could foresee that we were going to be plunged for further decades into a situation when there would be no local hand on the tiller." He was right. It would take another quarter of a century for power-sharing to return. In the interim, violence raged in the political vacuum. An attempt in 1985 by the then UK prime minister Margaret Thatcher to improve the security and political situation by signing an Anglo-Irish Agreement with the Dublin government led to sustained unionist protests. For civil servants trying to keep public services going, the challenges were huge. After Sir Kenneth stepped down from his job as head of the Northern Ireland Civil Service in 1991, he took on a wide range of public and private sector roles, including Northern Ireland national governor of the BBC and vice-chair of the National Museum and Galleries. He was also senator at Queen's University Belfast, the inaugural victims' commissioner and co-commissioner of the Independent Commission for the Location of Victims' Remains. He also worked outside of Northern Ireland, consulting on issues in Jersey, Israel, Austria, Bangladesh and the Netherlands. He received honorary doctorates from Queen's University Belfast, Ulster University and the Open University. Sir Kenneth also wrote a number of books. In A New Life, published in 2008, he wrote: "I enjoyed access to ministers and the opportunity to make recommendations and suggestions to them. "They might well decide to do something different as was their prerogative. "I played the game by the rules, and any disagreement while serving, I kept to myself." Once he left the civil service, he was more free to speak his mind about politics past and present. He wrote a book called A Tragedy of Errors: The Government and Misgovernment of Northern Ireland. When it came to Stormont politics, he was an eyewitness to history, and played his part, in good times and in bad.
Belfast Telegraph
07-05-2025
- Sport
- Belfast Telegraph
Jude Postlethwaite reveals what he must do to reach the next level for Ulster
As one of the top players in the RBAI side that famously won three Schools Cups in a row, Jude Postlethwaite is not a player you would think is shy on confidence. A member of the Ulster Schools set-up alongside his success with Dan Soper's all-conquering squad, the now 23-year-old oozed class every time he stepped on the pitch and was front and centre — literally in the latter case — to their repeated success.
Belfast Telegraph
02-05-2025
- Health
- Belfast Telegraph
‘A remarkable individual': Tributes paid following death of NI Commonwealth Games athlete and school governor
Ian Corry (66) passed away peacefully at his home on Tuesday. As well as his role as a surgeon who specialised in sports medicine and knee surgery, Mr Corry had served on the Board of Governors at The Royal Belfast Academical Institution (RBAI) for more than 20 years. He was a gifted swimmer who represented Northern Ireland at the 1974 Commonwealth Games in New Zealand at the age of just 14. Four years later, he then reached the 200m medley final at the 1978 games in Edmonton, Canada. "He leaves a tremendous legacy and will be sorely missed' – Janet Williamson, Principal, RBAI The north Belfast man went on to study medicine at the University of Edinburgh and completed overseas fellowships in New Zealand and Australia. A former RBAI pupil, he joined the Board of Governors in March 2004. School principal Janet Williamson said: 'Ian, as a colleague and friend, embodied the values of RBAI and was an excellent role model. His integrity, commitment and leadership were to his credit and to the benefit of the school. 'To have competed in the Commonwealth Games at such a young age is an inspiration for current and future pupils. He leaves a tremendous legacy and will be sorely missed.' We need your consent to load this Social Media content. We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Chair of the Board of Governors Michael Howard said Mr Corry was 'an outstanding Instonian'. "He was deeply committed to ensure that RBAI remains at the forefront of education in Northern Ireland. 'Ian was involved in the establishment of the RBAI Foundation in 2013 and chaired the Foundation Committee for the past ten years. Under his leadership, more than £4.5million was raised for pupil bursaries and the development of the School estate. "Our thoughts are with his wife Janet, children Shona, Malcolm and Eve, and wider family at this time.' Mr Corry also served as honorary orthopaedic surgeon to Ulster Rugby for more than two decades. The club paid their own online tribute following his death. "We are deeply saddened by the passing of Mr. Ian Corry, who served as Honorary Orthopaedic Surgeon to Ulster Rugby for over 20 years,' they said. 'Over the years, he treated many players - all fortunate to have received his expert care. He will be truly missed. Our heartfelt condolences go out to his family and loved ones during this difficult time.' A death notice said a service of thanksgiving would take place for Mr Corry at Stormont Presbyterian Church at 2pm on Thursday May 8.
