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Nick Burdon
Nick Burdon was a full time official in MSF covering the North Thames Region (now part of UNITE) who unfortunately died at a young age, just two weeks after his 50th birthday in August 1996. He was widely recognised as a hard worker whose drive and determination were dedicated to issues in the trade union and associated movements. His interests were focused on campaigns that offer support to those fighting for freedom and are against racism, imperialism and exploitation of those unable to defend themselves.
The untimely death led to the North Thames Region of MSF to conclude that we should mark his life and its contribution to the above causes by setting up a Nick Burdon Memorial and now Denis Blockley's name has been added to the Fund. This Fund to be used to provide training, on an international basis, for Trade Unionists who otherwise would have little access to it; a prime example being Trade Unionists from South Africa.
Denis Blockley
Denis Blockley started work as a naval architect and became an active trade unionist in the shipyards of the Tees, in north-east England. He was presented with the TUC award for Youth in 1975 and appointed a full time official of MSF in 1979, at the time the youngest officer to be appointed. Within the Union Denis worked in the Essex area having moved there on his relocation from East Anglia. He maintained his attachment to the National Youth Committee and was delighted to see many of its members go on to have an impact in other areas of MSF (now part of UNITE). This life long involvement with the Youth Committee and Denis’s support of the anti-apartheid struggle means he would have been proud to have his name associated with the Fund, which helps young people from areas such as Southern Africa to learn how to negotiate and implement the rights they had for so long been denied.
Denis also died, after a short illness, in August 1996, only four weeks before Nick, aged just 46 years.
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