SCUBACHAT
A tribute to Hannah Brookes
Ian Denney – remembering a pioneer
IT IS WITH SADNESS THAT I report the passing of a great North East character . Ian Denney passed away after a long illness on 26 January this year , at the age of 86 .
Ian was a member of BSAC at its conception . His membership number was 153 . And he paid the sum of £ 1-10 shilling on the 15th of January 1954 . He was a friend of Oscar Gugen , co-founder and original Chairman , and that will tell you how long ago that was .
He made his first cylinder from a Calor gas bottle and an improvised demand valve , then off he went across the beach at Redcar , with some funny looks from the other beach users .
Ian opened one of the first dive shops in the North East around 1954 above his father ’ s garage on the Esplanade on Redcar ’ s Sea front . It was called E L
Dorking dunkers
Denney and Son , Ian being the son .
He was always open for business – all you needed to do was to telephone him and let him know when you were arriving . Just a knock on his front door and he would open the shop well after official closing time . It culminated in the business becoming an IDEST test station , subsequently providing nitrox filling and cylinder cleaning .
Ian was a great supporter of BSAC ’ s North East region , donating raffle prizes many times to the very successful DIVEWISE in the 2000s . His son Chris is carrying on the business and will continue the legacy created by his father . Ian leaves a widow Patricia , daughter Susie and son Chris . He will be sadly missed . KEN SMITH , former Northeast Regional Coach
IN AID OF COMIC / SPORT RELIEF DORKING SNORKELLING CLUB RECENTLY ran a sponsored snorkel mile in aid of Comic / Sports Relief ! Snorkelling whole lengths underwater , pushing the octopush puck the whole way , surface diving every length through hoops or just straight snorkelling – our members did it their way ! We totalled 1,060 lengths , that ’ s 26,500 metres or 16 ½ miles ! In 2020 we raised £ 900 for Sports Relief , and we hope to match that figure this year . GRAHAM GRIFFITHS , Dorking Snorkelling Club
NOT LONG AFTER I began working with Hannah aboard the MV Valkyrie , she started a drawing on the back of my boat jacket . Hannah drew on anything , from crockery , to people , to dogs . She was especially fond of augmenting my dive briefing diagrams with very rude representations of marine life . She was an accomplished artist and the lovely pointillist representation of the boat on my jacket looked stunning , but she never finished it . A heartbreaking allegory of a life cut short .
Hannah Brookes was raised on the Isle of Man , where her twin passions of birds and the sea soon blossomed . She became an expert falconer in her teens . Many girls dream of owning a pony . She wanted an eagle . But life both above and below the waves also drew her in .
She was a highly knowledgeable technical diver , photographer and instructor , but that wasn ’ t enough for Hannah . She went from crewing on local boats to taking the helm of square riggers , container ships and superyachts . She was supremely modest about these achievements , but was no pushover . When the captain of a superyacht tried ‘ mansplaining ’ to her once too often , she literally threw him over the side , packed her bags and headed to Orkney .
She was a tornado of fun , wit and energy . Working alongside her was delightful , hilarious and left the impression that only by being so capable , could she also afford the luxury of having so much fun at work . It ’ s true to say that her knot tying was utterly dreadful , but it was also deeply unwise to mention it . When I did , I was extensively vandalised with her permanent marker .
Her sudden death has left a hole in many people ’ s lives and we will never forget her . At just 31 , we can only speculate on what other adventures were in store for Hannah . She leaves a partner , Phil , her parents , sister and many friends , colleagues and shipmates mourning her untimely loss . Her ashes will be scattered on her favourite wreck in Scapa Flow . A place she came to love , and where many came to love her . NICK LYON , Stromness
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