2006-2008 Meekings Family Newsletter

Dear Friends,

Our last newsletter was three years ago and now this is my newsletter. It has been a torrid three years. Shortly after the last very upbeat newsletter Jill’s cancer returned. She fought it for two years but she lost her fight in March this year. There is a tribute to her at (http://jill.meekings.co.uk). I have been rebuilding my life since March 14^th this year and my friends and family have been very supportive – thank you. I don’t want to dwell on our struggle but I do want to reflect on some of the quality moments we shared during it. We still found time for some wonderful moments and adventures and we never stopped loving and supporting each other.

In January 2006 we went skiing with friends to Zermatt and had a great time, so good in fact that the following year, despite Jill’s illness, we returned. This is Jill with Val. Then in March I went off skiing with some friends in Aspen and later in March a crowd of us went for a very wet but wonderful few days in Cornwall in celebration of a friends 60^th (scary?!?). From wet Cornwall Jill and I went off sailing in the BVIs. This was the first time we have sailed there and it was fantastic. Here we are looking silly at fancy hats night and this is one of those picture book beaches.

This was our last holiday together; immediately after returning we discovered Jill’s cancer had returned. Jill started what was to be a continuous cycle of one chemo course after another… But she was formidable in not letting it ‘get to her’, and we managed several family summer parties and visits to stately homes, including an autumnal visit to France, this is Jill enjoying November sunshine. Meanwhile I had undertaken a non-exec role for an Australian company that took me to an AGM in Sydney – a long way for a meeting! In December it was my mum’s 80^th Birthday and we arranged for a party at the Harbour Heights Hotel in Poole. There was a great turnout and everyone enjoyed themselves. This is a nice family photo.

2007 started with a return to Zermatt where I did the skiing and Jill did the Champagne! Jill organised a Crocus Walk in aid of Breakthrough in March and we were all amazed when several hundred people turned up. The tea ladies had their work cut out! Despite the pretty much weekly trip to the Royal Marsden we did manage trips to the London Eye, Spain, the Woldingham Litter Pick!!, yet another National Trust property, our summer bridge party. Jill and I had a lovely weekend in Bruges which has left me with wonderful memories and photographs, likewise a trip to visit friends in Guernsey. Our last trip away was to Inverness with our Bridge Group to stay with one of our relocated members. You might have thought that was quite enough but we also managed to get to the marriage of Aimie & Jim one of our close friend’s daughter; this was a privilege and we really enjoyed the Humanist service. Unfortunately 2007 ended with Jill in hospital over xmas and Kiran, James and I took it in turns to stay over with her. She always had one of us with her.

Kiran and James had also been very busy during 2006 and 2007. Kiran had been working very hard (hmmm) on her PhD. She finished the research in summer 2007 and then did a summer internship with Merrill Lynch on their Pharmaceutical Equity Research desk. At the end of this she decided the city wasn’t for her… She returned briefly to finish her experiments and then started the process of writing up her thesis. She planned to do this in 3 months during which she worked at home, spending quality time with her mum; and she made it. She had her oral examination and got a verbal approval just after Jill died. I was very proud of her, as would Jill have been. Kiran then started the process of thinking about getting a job – which was fairly tough. However she quite quickly got a job with a Boston based company Decision Resources who do research into pharmaceutical companies and their product pipelines. She started in March and has settled in well. So now at last she is a tax payer!!! Kiran now lives in Mayfair, just off Hyde Park.

James is still at OC&C Strategy Consultants. He’s been there now for three years and is doing really well, and seems to do many interesting projects. Some involve him in travel and he has worked in Nice and Portugal amongst other places… He lives in Victoria, very close to the station.

Both Kiran and James seem to have done loads of travelling and continue to do so. A few weeks ago Kiran was in St Lucia and James in Barbados. Right now James is spending 4 weeks exploring Central America.

2008 has been an emotional roller coaster. We were all very close in January and February, Kiran and James more or less lived at home. Jill got progressively weaker and died peacefully at home with the three of us on March 14^th. Most of you will know that we had a wonderful celebration of Jill’s life on the 18^th April. Since then we have all been trying to rebuild our lives – each in a different way.

I threw myself into lots of organising, work and decorating; things that I had not paid attention to for some time. I visited my house in Spain with a friend in March, and played a lot of golf. I also got away for a few days skiing in Meribel. In August I participated in Hamilton Island Race Week in Australia – a long way for a week’s sailing but it was great.

Its also been an insteresting three years professionally for me. In 2005/6 I became Chairman of a new software company SmithBayes. I raised Angel Finance and then we created a JV with the McLaren F1 racing team. After a year we bought them out and raised £1m of VC finance, since topped up to a total of £2m. We built the product, sold too few, and needed more finance just as the credit crunch bit. We have now cut costs in the company and are looking for a buyer. Meanwhile I also accepted a Non-Executive Director role at IT&e a Sydney based financial services application software vendor. I thought that it would be interesting and that I could take Jill to AGM/Board meetings in Sydney. Well that didn't work out and I resigned late in 2007. I am still maintaining the Chairmanship of two Reuters pensions schemes and the acquistion of Reuters byThomson has kept us on our toes. I'm now looking for one or two more opportunities since I think I will have more time - although iot never seems that way.

The nature of Jill’s condition was that I had time to think about and visualise ‘life after’. So I had spent time thinking about what I wanted to do with the rest of my life – which was basically to make the most of it whilst treasuring and savouring the good memories of 33 years shared with Jill. However nothing really prepares you for the actuality. In the end I coped with some things better than I thought and others were far more difficult.

In particular I found being alone – well very lonely. I missed the companionship, the fun of making plans with someone, and of sharing the things I enjoy; such as walks, scenery, music, sailing, and the sea. So this started me on a path which led me to find, very much more quickly than I had anticipated, a kindred spirit. She lives inWinchester and we share many common interests. This has been a surprise for both of us, and I'm not the only one who has had a tough emotional time. We have now been seeing each other for a few months and are very much enjoying each other’s company. I hope that next year I will be able to better satisfy your curiosity. But here is a little preview, only joking.

I hope you all have a safe, healthy and peaceful 2009 - wishing for a prosperous New Year would seem a bit optimistic.