John Stuart Colin Osborn

1927-2022. BGS 1941-1945

Written by Colin Osborn

After leaving, my career had to take a considerable change of direction and I entered into the service of the Building and Civil Engineering industry. For ten years, I was based in Bristol and then for five years in London, where, in 1956, Margaret – whose brother Edgar F. Evans was a pupil at BGS – and I married and set up our home at Pinner; in 1958 our son Martin was born. Returning to Bristol, extended our family with the arrival of Elaine.

I joined a Group of Specialist Sub-contractors in 1976 and managed one of it companies manufacturing precast concrete products. In 1987 there was an opportunity to undertake a management buy-out of this part of the business and we ran this – by then in premises at Cheddar – until I sold the land for housing development when I retired.

Martin received his schooling at BGS from the age of 7 to 17 and, after taking two degrees at Cambridge and some research work there, became a Formulation Chemist with ICI Agrochemicals – now Syngenta – and has just retrained with the company as a European Patents Attorney.

In the course of my career I was Chairman of the Bristol Association of Building Trades Employers (1981-82); an active role was taken in Round Table at Bristol, Hammersmith (Chairman 1959-60) and Westbury-on-Trym and in the Rotary movement being a Founder Member and later Secretary of Shepherds Bush Rotary Club (1955-60) and President of the Bristol Rotary Club in 1990-91. More recently, in retirement, I am enjoying membership of Bristol Probus Club (Chairman 1998-99) and Bristol Brunel Probus Club.

I have helped a little in the affairs of the OB Society as a Committee Member and, from 1992 to 1997, being Editor of Bristolienses.