Friends of the Ochils Newsletter 21: Autumn 2002Ken Oakley - an appreciationGeordie Skelton, a friend and fellow member of the Ochils Mountaineering Club, wrote an obituary in The Ochils Mountaineer from which the following edited extracts are taken, with permission. Ken Oakley was one of the bravest humans I have ever known. He fought his illness in an incredibly upbeat fashion. When he was offered the third phase of treatment for his cancer he refused and bravely accepted that his time had come. Ken had completed his Munros (on Sgurr Alasdair, 1989) and Corbetts (on Beinn Lair, 2000). He also climbed and walked extensively abroad. Ken was an expert on geology and wrote on the subject for the Friends of the Ochils newsletter. However, perhaps his most important contribution to mountaineering was the large number of youngsters he introduced to the sport through the walking clubs at St Mungo's Academy and Larbert High. Ken's ashes were scattered at Ryvoan, so next time you are in the area take a minute to think of a man who loved the mountains and loved being with mountaineers. |