It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Henry Girling, on 28th March, one of the longest standing members and Vice President of the Association, a renowned plantsman, arboriculturist, consultant and raconteur extraordinaire.
There will be a full obituary for Henry, to be published in the autumn issue of the ARB Magazine, but here we briefly pay tribute to this kind, intelligent and devoted friend of the Association and very many individuals in our industry. Our thoughts are with Janet, his wife of 49 years, and his family. He will truly be deeply missed, not least at our annual Conference, where, for at least the last 20 years he has donated a tree, in most cases grown by him from seed, to be planted to commemorate the event. Henry joined the Association in 1967 and worked as a tree surgeon, tree officer and became an AA Registered Consultant and Fellow member.
He will be remembered for his robust stance in representing the Association and the whole industry but, above all, for his encyclopaedic knowledge and love of trees – a plantsman at heart. May you rest in peace, Henry.
Henry Girling (lower center) at our 50th Anniversary gathering.
Henry Girling (right) at the 2010 Conference tree planting ceremony.
Henry Girling (right) at the 2010 Conference Awards.
Henry Girling (right) at the 2012 Conference tree planting ceremony.