Anthony Leonard Goodall born 5.3.1939, Stoke on Trent. Much loved father, architect, music-lover, inventor, classic-car enthusiast, comedian, died peacefully on 24.08.2006 in the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham. He leaves behind his two children Jasper and Jessica Goodall.
The funeral was held at Highbury Hall, Moseley, Birmingham on 12th September at 12pm. Please make any donations to the National Kidney Research fund.
The following words are tributes from family and friends.
Jasper Goodall
I think both Jess and I are in a state of disbelief that dad has died, it's all happened so suddenly that we are struggling to get our heads round it. So I really wanted to say some things about dad, we all thought we'd have a few months to say our goodbye's and thankyous, in the end it was all rather rushed. So I'll try and do it a little bit here.
If our mum was fiery and emotional, dad was gentle and sensitive, calm and rational. Mum would help us when we were down or upset in a kind of raw and direct motherly love kind of way, but Dad, did things differently - first he would give you a big bear hug, then he would sit you down and begin to display an incredible practical wisdom that made one feel he really had once been in the same position and had got through it. He gave you a clear direction on what to DO with the situation which we both found so valuable. I remember always being surprised at the depth of his understanding. His calm, practical compassionate wisdom is something we will both miss terribly.
Ive just written a list of some of the things we'll miss about dad-
Trips to silverstone to watch classic cars race round copse corner, visits to english country gardens holidays in venice his - favourite city in the world. Our brilliant philosophical talks which could be about anything from politics or how annoying and ridiculous health and safety laws are, but much more likely to be about the absolute plausibility of alien races or how some scientist had hypothesised about there being an infinite number of other dimensions of existence. we would stand around in the kitchen and debate or chip in with a program we'd seen or book we'd read, and wonder at the amazing universe we happen to live in. His DIY skills and life advice - stuff like pensions and investments and mortgages or what might be the funny noise my car was making - I realise now I have no font of wisdom to ask even mundane questions of.
His perfect fancy dress costume of Obi Wan Kenobi at st Ive's new years eve celebrations, where he literally had star wars fans bowing down at his feet such was the convincing nature of his guise. and dreams - long accounts of strange and wonderful dreams over the breakfast table. - the one he liked the most in recent years was meeting with a squirrell who proclaimed that everyone and everything in the world was called jack.
however theres a few things about dad I dont think we will miss quite so much:
Driving with dad. in particular in the dark. worst of all in the dark after a fireworks show... quite simply terrifying - at a roundabout you'd shout - dad dad theres the turning - as you're heading straight for the kerb getting ready for the crunch. And veering sharply to make the corner he'd protest - I know! I saw it! his eyes were so awful I think he was still seeing the fireworks in front of his eyes the next morning! His culinary experiments of recent years are something I think neither of is will miss much, the latest one he told me of was not so much an experiment more another product of his bad eyesite - tucking into a piece of fried fish he wondered at he incredibly crunchy chewy texture of the skin, on closer inspection he realised he had managed to fry the black plastic foam packaging it had been sitting on 'actually' he said' it tasted rather nice as it had soaked up some of the flavour so I chewed it for a little while'. he would always phone us to tell us the latest dumb thing he had done or the latest achievement he had made on the MG's - I'm gonna miss those phone calls.
As you can see dad's in a cardboard coffin - the last thing he wanted was for us to waste 800 quid on a fancy wooden carpentry job whose effective life span was all but a few days only to end up getting incinerated - a very expensive bonfire.
last birthday he bought jess half a pair of designer jeans, as he was horrified at the idea of paying over 70 pounds for a pair when you could get a perfectly good pair of denims for 10 pound in tescos! His frugality was a feature of our house too - we were always exasperated that an architect should have such a 'make do' house - the wooden panelling in the breakfast room was a pair of oak doors rescued from an old walter smith butchers shop and relatives on mums side that are here today know well the story of the unfinished bathroom - well he'd just finished it properly over the last few months having started it well over 20 years ago! One thing that didn't get the frugal treatment was his cars. He has spent much of the last 5 years and a good deal of money no doubt tinkering with the old machines, I think that besides valentine road - our family home those cars will be the toughest things to let go of.
Dads death has been a shock for everybody, a few weeks ago he seemed perfectly well, now he's gone. I just wanted to explain to those who dont already know, a little of what happened - why and how he died. He was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, although to this day we still dont have a 100 percent firm diagnosis. Several procedures needed to be done in order to get him well enough to spend his last few predicted months at home, because whilst in any ordinary case surgery or chemo might have brought more hope, what with dad's transplanted kidney and the drugs he had to take to stop it rejecting on top of signs of liver disfunction, surgery or chemo were not options we could consider. unfortunately these procedures didn't go according to plan and he developed septicaemia and became ill very quickly, we went from one day hoping he would improve and come home, to the next realising I think, that we had seen this all before with mum's death - it was horribly familiar. That day we stayed with him into the night, untill at 3 am he died peacefully with jess and I holding him. I think he was very accepting of what was happening to him, from the first diagnosis to the last few minutes of his life. He felt and expressed very clearly that he'd had nearly 10 years extra from his kidney transplant and was incredibly grateful for that 10 years. He felt he'd faced death twice before with his two major kidney operations and he told us he was not afraid to die, in fact I think on one level he was perhaps rather intrigued as to what might lie beyond this particular life. On the day he died he still had his sense of humour, he laughed with me, jess and mike when asked how he was doing- he found it rather funny at his level of confusion and that he had absolutely no concept how he was.
The afternoon of his death he said aloud in a moment of waking that he had a corner to get round, then realising what he was thinking, said to us all 'but there is no corner is there?' again having a laugh at himself as he spoke. Me being the kind of spiritual thinker that i tend to be, began to wonder at the meaning of this enigmatic corner - was it, pehaps a part of the dissolution of his mind?or a metaphor for passing into the final stage of his life? No - later on we looked at the journal he'd been keeping up until about 2 or 3 days before he died, there was a little architectural problem sketched out - the age old dilemma of how to build a corner on a slope - and we all realised that this was the corner he was trying to get round. According to mike this particular corner was a problem that he and dad had been working on before he went into hospital, a corner not 2 miles from where he was born in stoke. So he was working as an architect almost till the day he died.
I know dad was incredibly proud of both me and jess, I know because he told us so and cos everybody else tell's me so too - they tell us how much he talked about us and how much he enjoyed showing others our work or a magazine that we'd been featured in - I'm so glad he got to see us make good careers for ourselves, it was always something I felt really sad about with mum's death - that she only just began to see the beginnings of what we'd later become. We will both mourn the fact that neither of our parents got to be grandparents or see us married, but I know dad was very happy that I seem so settled with sanna, and that jess has found goodun in Mark - his biggest happiness was to see us happy I think.
I wanted to talk a bit about dad's ideas of what would happen to him after he died, because he certainly didn't have any notions of oblivion or thoughtless void nor indeed did he have a conventional idea of a heaven. We had many late night discussions on ideas of an existence beyond this physical body and we had ideas that were different but never really contradicted each others- who knows for certain anyway?
Dad was very intrigued the work Wilhelm Reich a scientist and Phsychoanalyst working in the 40's and 50's and it was upon some of riechs theories that dad based his ideas of what might become of him after his death.
Essentially and without getting too bogged down with Riech's life and experiments, Riech believed he had discovered a universal life energy and he called it orgone. Orgone, Riech beleived, was the substratum from which all nature is created - orgone he thought was the creative force in nature. He acknowledged that humans had been aware of a universal energy for centuries, to the chinese it's chi, to the indian Yogis its prana and to the mechanistic scientists of the 19th century it was ether, what Riech felt he was doing differently was making a scientific study of this energy and moreover, he was trying to develop technology based on it, working on ways to accumulate and direct this energy to be of use to many people. Dad was facsinated by Riech's ideas, i think he could relate to a guy doing modern science experiments more that he could to ideas that he might have felt were too spiritual or mystical. besides which he would tell me of a revolutionary town planner he worked with in the sixties who had made an orgone accumulator based on Riech's designs, he swears he saw the guy emerge from his accumulator, then put a light bulb in his mouth which promptly lit up, well what more eveidence do you need?
Reich's ideas and apparent proving of the existance of a universal energy formed the basis of dad's ideas of the afterlife - what dad believed is that his life energy, or his soul or whatever you want to call it would rejoin the well of universal energy, to be intergtated once more. And that it would inevitably be re- used to form another life - not exactly reincarnation, more a kind of recycling.
On the night Dad died There was a tremendous storm, right over the hospital, torrential rain and stunning lightning, I found out later that on His way into hospital that night, Ed had been visualising the giant pyramid of an orgone accumulator hanging over the top of the QE hospital, just at the time that the lightning was closest and most frequent, violent. he knew what one looked like because dad and he had shared a journey back from Brighton to Birmingham together, when dad had told Ed all about his beliefs and ideas. Ed has told me on a number of occaisons that he felt he was listening to a man with a real and gentle wisdom - a man who was at peace with the world around him.
when he was diagnosed with cancer a few weeks ago, I told him that when he died I would be thinking that for a while at least he would have consciousness without a physical form, that he would see me and jess and everyone he knew and I asked him not to worry for us or feel desperate that he couldn't communicate with us cos I'd be talking to him and believing that he could hear - he said he thought that yes, maybe it would take a while for his consciousness to disperse before he went back to the pool of energy to be re used again one day.
This conversation, though very short was one of the most important I have ever had, I'm so glad I was brave enough to have it. So, i wanted to introduce a piece of music that will no doubt have Jess and I in bits, were not playing it for that reason although it is about a father - It was one of dad's favourites partly because it is a beautiful song but also because it is sung from the perspective of Wilhelm Riech's daughter, she sings of memories of their home, his experiments in making rain and of his arrest by the food and drug agency of the US government, who obviously felt threatened by the nature of his experimentation. - it will always make me think of dad and his gentle wisdom and fertile imagination - we'll miss him lots
Mike Menzies
In preparing this tribute to TG my business partner and friend for 28 years I was struck by how little I know about some aspects of his life and how much about others. I think that is the way he wanted it....business colleagues, colleagues from his first practice, Burman Goodall and from UCE Art & Design department, MG club friends, archery colleagues and family and friends here today, all of us loosely connected via his little black books. For somebody so apparently untidy ……..Tony was not the tidiest of people as anyone who has sat by his work station ( called POO corner) will testify…… everything and I suspect everyone had their place… if only he could recall where. …a scrawled note…a telephone number……something written along the top of a sketch…an entry in that little booklet he called a diary….or that special corner of the backing sheet on his monster drawing board. He was after all a man of the drawing board…
At the time of our first meeting he was a teacher in the Dept of Interior Design at Birmingham Poly…. Without Tony there might not have been an Axis Design….a less than chance meeting with John Smith ( an original client) gave birth to our working relationship in the early eighties …..the days of Lodge Road above the butchers shop. For most of the intervening period Tony balanced teaching and architectural practice, working alongside Alan and Joe completing the original partners in the practice.
Tony was a shy and reserved man….and it is perhaps surprising that he should have become a teacher, such a public role, but one that brought out TG the giver…not least of his knowledge, experience and skills. Students will recall conversations across the board or on the way back from grabbing a cup of coffee,. coupled with Tones Insights into the brief requirements, the digging out of past long forgotten drawings or jobs, open architecture books, often Kahn with thumbnail sketches, lots of thumbnail sketches and 'Tone' type site diagrams from his trusty 4B clutch pencil and from all of this came a fully fledged scheme all in less time than it take to hold a couple of average business meetings. None of Tony's students are the lesser for having taken the time to listen to him and learn. I count myself as one of them, in fact at our first meeting in the studio at School of Architecture in 1979 this lanky guy with flares, a denim jacket and the biggest glasses. walked up thinking I was a student in need of advice……Little did I realise then that the over the board tutorial would last for almost 30 years.
Tony, for somebody with such bad eyesight was a seer, a visual creature, one whose stock in trade was images, it was never long before the pencil came out and the hunt was on for a scrap of paper.. Often the images were hard to decipher, even for him, his little black book contained a stream of consciousness, often drawn in the middle of the night, sometimes the day to day would creep in with a note about cat food for Spiff, a shopping list or bill to be paid. In fact to the last he was sketching and in a note book by his hospital bed he was wrestling with a corner problem…Houses on a hillside in Coalville.
Tony was never happier than with a pencil in his hand although he did latterly master the computer…his beloved Mac machine……………his first love must be tracing paper and lead pencil. He drew beautifully and with such speed……. His apparently effortless ability made you feel a mixture of admiration and envy…..even anger at your own feeble attempts.
In recent months TG has been telling me about visualization inside the mind….we have shared even in his last few days in the hospital a guided tour though spaces he inhabited as a child…he could recall the details and layout and furniture and lighting and décor of his grandmothers house and his home in Stoke…even down to telling me what was on the side board and the pattern on the woven doilies.
Tony's life had many physical battles and that he survived them is a testimony to his quiet courage and determination. His kidney problems, dialysis and ultimately his kidney transplant forced him into a regime of medication,diet and fluid controls.
Tony had a playful side to him……I never saw his Obi- Wan Kenobi fancy dress which he donned for New year Parties in St Ives……but I know he enjoyed entertaining those closest to him with stories, observations on life, little ditties from some obscure book he had come across…quotes from the Goons, 'Letters from a Nut' by Ted L Nancy which was lying by his workstation.
All of us at Axis, past and present ,will recall the Christmas dinners where TG did his turn reading from Stanley Holloway with the recital of Sam Ogelthwaite a joiner and building contractor from the banks of the Irwell who had the mon---ooo---pooly….on Maple which he priced at.3 hapence a foot. For Noah who wanted to build an Ark… On the night of his death it Rained and it rained….and walking from the car park at the QE I needed the shelter of an Ark…and would have paid Sams price unlike Noah who wouldn't budge.
Tony was a child of Stoke, born in Meir at No 11 Lyme Road…a lifelong Stoke City supporter for whom life turned full circle as recently he worked on projects within a stones throw of his birthplace. Projects at Normacot and in the week before his admission to Selly Oak. working on the masterplan for Coalville, He has regaled us with stories about his family, their close links to the potteries industry and how Peg Leg Goodall dissipated the family fortunes drinking in the Normacot Hotel.
Just across the road is the Queensberry School attended by RJ Mitchell…..the designer of the Spitfire…one of the aircraft so admired by Tony. Some of us will recall on his 65th birthday his reaction to the signed print of Spitfires in flight over the southern coast. The era of the spitfire also spawned that other mechanical love of his life MG cars. He drove an MGTC when we first met and latterly his red MGA and MGC have been lovingly looked after by him….his little black book carries some fascinating stuff on parts……………… and what appears to be the design of a ramp for working on them. The image of TG complete with flying jacket and Biggles helmet hurtling round the lanes of Warwickshire, something straight out of Boys Own comic books, raises a smile, except for those who had to drive with him…He loved fast cars but his driving style…flat out on the straights and crawling on the bends, (a necessity no doubt in cars with questionable steering)…………something about rack and pinion he told me.
His other passion was archery a sport which I understand he mastered with some success….although the one story which can now be told is about the rogue arrow which found its way onto Kings Heath High Street after a particularly bad shot down his back garden at Valentine Road. TG fled inside only to venture out later when it was obvious by the absence of police activity that he was in the clear. The Kings Heath Police Station was across the road directly in the line of flight. He did venture out later to casually stroll down the High Street in the hope of finding his carbon fibre, tungsten tipped projectile.
You will be hearing some of Tony's favourite music and his tastes live on….the collection of his vinyl albums includes Jethro Tull (an early throw back to a folk era some of us remember) Brian Eno, Frank Zappa,Enya David Byrne…. Most recently we have all been listening to Pink Floyd after their Live8 appearance.
'The Wall' was not his favourite album but …taking a leaf from it we intend to put 'just another brick in some of Tony's walls…
Our clients have very graciously agreed to us building in memorial stones into projects which he had or was working on over the last few months. Two spots are worthy of note: Stoke Road, Bletchley...a lovely spot he designed with a curved wall and seats overlooking the Grand Union Canal…..
A wall in the new Park in Coalville overlooking the River Blithe which flows into the River Trent connecting his birthplace with his university town and by way of its tributary the River Dove the Peak National Park around Ashbourne, in fact Dovedale is the screen saver on his computer.
The final part of this tribute is to you Jasper and Jessica, the last few weeks have been a harrowing experience watching your Dad fight for life but can I say you have been a credit to him and all that he valued.. your dignity, courage, caring and sense of doing the right thing are as much a part of Tony's legacy as any of his buildings.
Rob Annable
I'm charged with the duty of speaking on behalf of the staff of Axis Design past and present. Since Tony was never just our boss, but our teacher and mentor as well, this naturally grows into a speech on behalf of all those who were lucky enough to call themselves one of his students.
Representing so many people is a daunting task, but I hope to be able to convey the essence of the relationship we all have such fond memories of.
It's often said that one of the most important attributes of many of history's great writers, is their ability to speak directly and personally to the reader. As if, despite the huge numbers of fellow readers, the book was written just for you.
Reading through the tributes we've received I learnt that this was what it was like knowing Tony.
Naturally there are overlaps, similarities and shared experiences that we could all agree on; yet each of us would have a deeply personal memory of them thanks to Tony's ability to build a relationship on the common ground between you. His open mindedness, curiosity and enthusiasm ensured there was always a common ground with everyone.
To the tributes themselves:
I read from Al how Tony's teaching was not so much a reciting of choice extracts from previous projects but more a series of intertwined tales and examples borne of personal experience; and I think about the intertwined tales of Stoke City and Wolverhampton that would help start Mark's day as they planned for the local derby; and I see how Mark remembers how Tony could move effortlessly between scales of design problem; which takes me back to Al and their discussions about Stoke City and Plymouth Argyle; so I remember how he liked a good joke and I read that Yumiko keeps hearing jokes that she wants to tell him; or how Ruth is filled with sadness yet smiling as she recalls her memories of him as a teacher who was patient and gentle; a teacher to whom Yumiko attributes such diverse lessons as Photoshop and rare butterflies, who would arrive with perfect timing every week clutching bags of cookies for us all; and I think about the value of timing when I read that Dominic can still recall his perfect delivery of a line during his interview, as much for his dead-pan comedic talent as the words themselves; or how one of the qualities that made him such a good role model was his lack of pretension; which, finally, brings us back to Stoke City and the suggestion from Al that supporting a non-premiership team bestows a natural level of humbleness on a person. Perhaps this is a quality we can all develop if we follow Mark's proprosal and start supporting Stoke on his behalf.
Full copies of the tributes mentioned can be found below, I hope I've managed to successfully include a little something from each.
I'm going to end with a piece I wrote the week after Tony died. The journal it refers to is an online journal that I've been keeping for the last few years which Tony has influenced the shape of and occasionally starred in. It seemed important to let visitors know a little more about him. It seemed fitting to do it by hand, in pencil, in my Moleskine notebook.
(click for larger versions or get the PDFs)
Links to journal entries shaped by Tony's input: Death of a Drawing Board, Brighton Memory Palace, Concrete Evidence, Little Nemo (and the resultant: I wake up to Nemo) and Dead Dad.
Update: Here's a fitting to end to my last collaboration with Tony...
Dear Rob and Tony
I'm very pleased to inform you that you have been awarded a commendation in the 2006 Euroclad Drawing Competition, organised in conjunction with Architecture Today and judged by Piers Gough and Sadie Morgan. There will be a prizewinners' lunch in central London on October 19th, which I hope you will be able to attend. Further details on this will follow shortly from CIB Communications. We shall be publishing the winning and commended entries in the October issue of Architecture Today.
Congratulations and best wishes
Ian
Ian Latham
Publishing Editor
Architecture Today
Al Morrissey
How do I remember Tony? Mornings in the office would often start with judicious banter about the mighty Stoke City and the even mightier (on occasion!) Plymouth Argyle, as both teams would, season after season, find themselves locked in a mid – table struggle for pride, and not much else, especially in the way of silverware! Perhaps supporting a non – premiership team bestows a natural level of humbleness in a person, which brings me deftly to one of Tony’s many qualities. Working with him on a range of projects was in itself a humbling experience as he brought a sense of immense clarity and almost effortless logic to potentially tricky design problems.
As a mentor and tutor he was always approachable and had timely and kindly advice for the most nervous or confused of ‘architectural wannabees’, myself included in this title. Teaching and sharing knowledge for Tony was not so much a reciting of choice extracts from previous projects but more a series of intertwined tales and examples, most of which not at all related to architecture but all of which were borne of personal experience. A person of great humour and rationality, I saw Tony more as a friend than a ‘boss’, a term I think he was never truly comfortable with. At times we would fall into a double act of ‘butler and landowner’, don’t ask me why, but it worked on a level of pure stupidity that the Goons themselves would have been proud of!
Tony leaves a lasting impression on me, every time I put pen to paper, or pencil to tracing paper to be correct, I am reminded of his belief that there was no such thing as a problem that could not be solved with a 2B pencil and, well, any surface that was handy at that moment! It was a privilege to have known and worked with Tony, his influence is audible in so many things I do and believe in myself, and being able to call mysef his friend and colleague is something that I will always carry with me through life. God bless you Tony.
Yumiko Kan
I have only known Tony for just over a year, but I feel very fortunate that I met Tony and got lots of fond memories of him which are my treasures now and will remain and influence me for the rest of my life. Tony taught me a lot about design, concepts, philosophies, books, music, amazing Photoshop techniques and rare butterflies etc. Tony had a vast amount of talent, knowledge and experiences, I wish I could spend more time with him. I respect him deeply as an architect, teacher and as a great person. Tony has achieved so much in his life, I would be very happy if I could achieved 10% of his achievements. I remember I was always happy to see him coming into the office because Tony always created an relaxed atmosphere immediately. I looked forward every Wednesday, the day he brought a little Tesco cookies bag to share with us, which usually gone within a second. Tony also loved good jokes and comedies, I still think that when I hear a good joke I want to tell him about it next time I see him.
My partner Gez also met Tony in two occasions and found that they both shared same interest in classic car, Gez really enjoy talking to Tony about his MG at the Margaret's leaving due in May this year. Tony was a person who has huge capacity to embraced anybody come to contact with him. I hate writing about him in the past tense, We really miss him.
Mark Evans
How can one try to describe in words what it was like working with Tony? Tone was more than a partner at Axis Design, more than my boss, he was one of my great friends, someone who was able to provide clever insight into what to do next, regardless of the dilemma.
Professionally Tony was always there for me, providing an experienced, yet personal view on architecture, regardless of scale. He had an ability to crack even the toughest architectural problems, as well as provide inspiration where I thought none could be found, and he always did it with a smile on his face. I was always fond a watching Tone sketching away, creating improvements to the design of the next 3b 5p variant, with optional kitchen diner, as well as effortlessly designing the layout to the next large-scale urban masterplan. Simply put, the atmosphere was more jovial when Tony was in the office and it was a pleasure to have worked with him.
Tony also helped me through my final stages of architectural education, and passing my RIBA Part 3 was more down to Tone's insightful guidance than anything else. He was able to provide an understanding to even the most taxing contractual subjects.
Personally it was also a delight knowing Tony, I for one will always cherish our constant debates on the wonders of Wolves Vs Stoke, ultimately planning for the local derby and generally summarising in a silly chuckle about some Monty Python sketch. I would generally look forward to our debrief Tuesday's, where we would summarise the weekend's sporting events and after careful insight, conclude that Wolves and Stoke would not be challenging for honours yet again!!
Other fun oddities that I will look back on with a grin on my face would be our many fun lunchtime creations, usually over one of Tone's fruit salads or cheese fuelled dreams from the previous night. We would discuss possible future Olympic events, such as the 'International Floating Championships', or the design for our 'Mechanics Roof Sling' enabling car mechanics to have a pain free back!
I could carry on, like I'm sure everyone who knew him could, describing fun and fond memories that happened, but that is the type of person Tone was, someone who had an ability to make a lasting impression on people. It was a real honour to have known him and share a chapter in his life.
I may even start supporting Stoke City, to keep my very fond memories alive.
Dominic Chapman
I have lots of memories of Tony, and having worked with him for nearly 4 years during full and part time working, he is always one of those people who was present during my time there. I always remember the choice joke or remark out of the blue that would be stated so dead-pan that could turn a discussion or story into a quite hysterical moment.
Tony was the first person I met when coming for interview for my part I placement. When we were discussing working at Castle Vale, he asked if I had my own transport; I said that I had my own car; Tony replying that they had had problems of car thefts and break-ins at Castle Vale. I said that I had a crappy old car so probably wasn’t a problem. I pointed to it out of the window of the old conference room. Tony looked towards my old car and completely dead-pan just said, “yes that is an old crappy car, don’t think we need worry about that then”. And he wrote down something along the lines of ‘has old car’. Doesn’t sound funny now but I always remember the delivery of the line. Tony was a good mentor to have as a young Architect and was always able to offer good straight forward advice and construction advice. Lacking pretension and not being a ‘showy’ Architect working with Mike as a duo offered me fine role models for the future
John Freeman
My recollections of Tony are many and varied his enthusiasm for his work, love of teaching and clear joy sharing in the growth of his students was clearly evident when Tony spoke about Axis and lecturing. Whilst a person of natural empathy this never stopped Tony interjecting with cutting humorous comments which reflected his breathed of knowledge and life experience.
On reflection I would however comment on Tony’s ability to listen, genuinely listen and engage is conversation which flowed so fluently that many afternoons past by discussing topics from science fiction to art at the expense of many working hours, but you some how knew that Tony perceived such conversations as essential to being a rounded individual and as such worth while but more essentially an enjoyable experience.
A sincere pleasure to have met you and shared your company.
Ruth Minchin
If there was a single person who introduced me to design practice beyond the confines of the educational studio it was Tony. He very kindly invited me to join Axis Design Collective for a short period of work experience between my first and second year during my BA. He introduced me to the team who were so caring and nurturing and I have to add patient, as at the time I knew very little beyond the concepts of design. After this eye opening period including the joys of the local steering group I went back to my second year where I was taught by Tony, as a teacher he was incredibly patient and gentle.
I think it is testament to Tony that although I am filled with sadness that he is gone I am smiling thinking back to the memories I have of him.
My deepest sympathies go out to Jessica and Jasper and all who knew and love Tony as a friend and colleague.
Tony's memorial service ay Highbury Hall ended with his own words. His daughter Jessica introduced us to one of his favourite storys: Swimpal
Jessica Goodall
I'm going to tell you a story from Dad's past that he often liked to recount for people.
It's a story from a time before Jasper and I were born, but one that he told over and again.
He often used it as an ice-breaker with new people. Dad met my boyfriend Mark for the first time in a sickly-green side ward at Selly Oak A&E roughly five weeks ago, where they talked about cricket and classic cars. I think it was on their second meeting, this time in the QE that Mark was subjected to the story of Swimpal.
I think Dad's telling of this story to so many people highlights what was a truly lovely trait in him which was his desire to put people at ease (probably borne of his own shyness), and he often did this by laughing at himself and encouraging others to laugh along too.
As this story has been shared so often, it's likely you will have heard it before, but we felt, as a tribute to Dad and all his silly ways, it ought to get one last airing. And if you like it, please do pass it on…
SWIMPAL
I have dreamt, on occasion, that I am swimming in a large swimming pool of blue water, cutting powerfully through the water like a shark.
I have attempted to learn the art of swimming a number of times since the age of seven (my first near drowning experience in a swimming bath) and all have ended in failure, although it has to be said that I am now able to put together a few flailing backstrokes before the inevitable sinking occurs.
I cannot co-ordinate my limbs in water - on land I'm fine, even good at limb co-ordination, but put me in water and I am like a fish out of it. I am gradually coming to the conclusion that there are sub-species of the human race made up of those who are comfortable in water, in air, and those, like myself, who are land based and will always feel discomfort where one of the other two elements dominate.
This land based bias was never a problem for me, living as I did in Middle England; that was until I moved, with my wife, to Northern Ireland. Now, in this country, you are never far from the sea and what with the longer summer evenings due to the North Westerly location and the fact that the glorious North Antrim coastline was a mere half hour drive away, what was more natural than to spend a few hours after work picnicking on the beach with friends. Of course, with that comes fun and games in the sea - for some! I used to spend my time in the safety of the shallows - hands on the bottom, apparently swimming and giving a cheery wave to the others who were all splashing around in the deeper water 10 or 15 metres away. I occasionally took a risk and waded out up to my shoulders to throw myself onto a wave to be carried to the shore, usually finishing with a coughing spell to get rid of about a pint of seawater.
Imagine then what anticipated joy I felt when flipping through Exchange and Mart one day in the Sports and Leisure section seeing the answer to my dreams:
CAN'T SWIM?
Invisible swimming aid? - was this a pair of water wings made of such gossamer material that they could not be seen? Was it a pill which magically increased the body's buoyancy? I could not wait to find out and immediately rushed to the post box to send my cheque.
GET SWIMPAL
The unique invisible swimming aid
Send cheque today for immediate despatch and get swimming.
A few days later, a small package duly arrived and I tore the brown paper open to find a cardboard box containing some thin rubberised material in a fetching shade of pale blue. This turned out to be a pair of inflatable underpants. Clearly not invisible, but obviously intended to be worn beneath a pair of boxer type swimming trunks and fortunately I had such a pair. SWIMPAL came with a detachable polythene tube for inflation by mouth. You had to put them on first and then inflate them, which put in 1 - 2 centimetres of air all round. They fitted quite snugly and were really not very obvious under the boxers. One detail that was slightly worrying was what would happen if you were suddenly taken short and had to visit a public toilet. You would have to expel all the air before removing them; anyone hearing this event would certainly be surprised!
We prepared to go to the beach a couple of days later and first I had to decide whether or not to wear my SWIMPAL under my normal clothing. I decided the best course of action was to wear them as normal underpants and to inflate them discreetly at the beach prior to swimming.
We went to our usual beach which had lots of large rocks, so there was no problem in disappearing for a few minutes.
With excitement rising I puffed air in to my underpants until they were nice and firm and then, like Superman emerging from the phone-box, I ran across the beach to join the others who were already swimming.
I rushed in to the waves and confidently dived into about a metre of water with the intention of gliding through the surf towards them. I was not prepared for the jack-knife effect which SWIMPAL induced. My backside shot to the surface whilst my head and my feet went towards the bottom and I thrashed about in this embarrassing position for a few seconds before managing to gain enough equilibrium to stand up coughing and spluttering and then became aware of the amazed looks on the faces of my friends on witnessing this strange event.
'I know' I thought, 'backstroke, that will be better'. No such luck - this time my hips were thrust upwards and my head, as before was tilted below the surface. I emerged again and this time everyone was falling about with laughter, if you can do that whilst swimming. I realised that my secret was out when one of them told me I should be wearing my pants on my head!
I didn't mind being the butt of the humour and, although terribly disappointed, I soon saw the funny side and laughed along with them - it was the event of the week.
As for SWIMPAL, well, when fully inflated, they made a useful camping pillow and served this purpose for quite a while before suddenly exploding with a great outrush of air. Now… if I had been swimming at that moment, I would have probably made it to Rathlin Island in record time!
Tony Goodall
