The Club has been informed of the passing of long-time member, former Honorary Secretary and non-stop supporter Iain Pratt.
Iain joined Old Wesley and played at junior level with the odd outing at senior level. After retiring from playing he dabbled in coaching but eventually found his true club vocation in administration. Employed in the Irish Times he rose to the position of company secretary. With his obvious administrative skills he was an natural choice as Hon. Secretary where he served for six years during the 1980s.
He was the initiator of the very popular Candlelit Dinners having great pride in sourcing many of the wines himself.
After retiring Iain and his wife Cecily emigrated to France where, amongst other things, he was able to expand his love of wine and good food. He was elected a Vice President and had it not been for living abroad he would certainly have become Old Wesley President. However, whenever he was back in Dublin, and until very recently, he would always drop in to Old Wesley to watch a match and catch up with old friends.
Of course Iain’s club involvement was always going to be full on when he married into the Shiel family. His father-in-law Willie, and indeed mother-in-law Hazel, were Wesley stalwarts to the last. For many years Willie basically ran Old Wesley while Hazel managed the catering. It was no surprise that Iain and Cecily would follow in their footsteps.
Iain’s wife Cecily died in 2021 and he is survived by children Jonnie, Andy, CJ & Vicki and seven grandchildren.