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Tributes
Davey Hopper
Legendary leader of the Durham Miners’ and inveterate organiser of the Big Meet, Davey Hopper
was also a great friend of the GFTU. He strongly supported our efforts to rekindle trade union links
with Vietnam and attended our London public meeting with several Vietnamese colleagues. Davey
of course helped us massively with our exhibition of John Harris’s wonderful pictures of the miners’
strike when we were at the Liverpool TUC and he made a speech there that few will forget and
which moved everyone in the packed audience. Dave also fully supported our work to create greater
awareness about ESNA and attended all of our seminars in London with them. Davey ensured that
the GFTU took its place on the platform of the Gala and became a friend of our General Secretary.
The General Secretary represented the Federation at Davey’s funeral. IN Davey’s memory we hope
all those who have never been to the gala will turn out this July.
David Coates
Former GFTU Executive member and official in the Furniture Timber and Allied Trades Union which
merged eventually with the GMB David was of the very strongest English stock, firm and unbending,
solid as oak and a lifelong advocate for his union and the GFTU. He became a Labour councillor in
Kent in later life and long after retirement retained an interest in our affairs. David was always
pleased to see progress at the GFTU and General Secretary Doug Nicholls recalls him as: “one of the
very best. The GFTU was a bit stuffy sometimes in the mid-nineties, but I will never forget the warm
welcome David gave to my union when we joined the federation, he was keen to find out about a
new affiliate and make us feel at home with a joke and excellent company. He had stamina in all
ways, as a long distance runner and as someone who had seen so much and fought for so much he
could see us through any difficult situation. As sharp as a plane iron.”
Carole Adair
We all remember Carole Adair President of the AEP with great affection, here is the tribute paid to
her by AEP General Secretary Kate Fallon.
“Carole was committed to the AEP – she was elected to its National Executive Committee nearly 20
years ago – she was a staunch advocate of its trade union principles and professional aims, being
equally concerned about promoting the wellbeing of children and young people as she was of
educational psychologists.
She could be a formidable operator, enjoying great respect amongst colleagues from across the
trade union movement, but particularly in Northern Ireland, where she will be remembered for
many years as the champion for educational psychology and educational psychologists.
She took her role as the AEP’s Representative for NI extremely seriously and professionally – she was
passionate about Northern Ireland - and, subsequently, demonstrated the same as both vice
President and President.
During the last year we all watched her exercising the office of president with integrity and
leadership – trying to manage psychologists is said to be rather like herding cats – imagine trying to
chair the profession’s executive committee - but Carole rose to the challenge!