New year honour for Iping man

Published Date: 08 January 2009

Thirteen years of voluntary service to St Dunstan's has led to the award of the OBE in the New Year honours list to Captain Michael Gordon Lennox.

Capt Gordon Lennox, who retired from the Royal Navy in 1994 and lives at Iping, near Midhurst, served for three years as a trustee of the national charity before becoming its chairman in 1998. He stepped down last November when he reached the age of 70.

"When I became chairman of St Dunstan's trustees," Capt Gordon Lennox said, "we were looking after some 900 war (or on duty) blinded
veterans, mostly from World War II, but with a few in the intervening years. These numbers were dwindling – we had a good level of reserves and something had to be done.

"The 'something' agreed by the trustees is that we would in future look after all ex-service people, regardless of the cause of blindness.

"This triggered a large amount of work, but has been highly successful
and popular with the ex-service community, many of whom suffer from age-related blindness, such as macular degeneration, blindness resulting from other conditions like multiple sclerosis and diabetes, and increasing as people live longer."

He said St Dunstan's now looked after more than 2,500 blind people and had an annual intake of between 600 and 700.

"We also include widows and spouses of those we support, taking the overall total to nearly 4,500 and rising, in addition to the flagship home at Ovingdean (over 40 residents and 110 beds) for rehab training, respite and holidays.

"The numbers increase has led us to opening a weekday centre at Sheffield and a new home at Llandudno which will copy Ovingdean but without permanent residents, and is sadly now on hold for development for a year so we can assess the financial downturn effects."

Capt Gordon Lennox said he was 'passionate' about St Dunstan's work.

The oldest survivor of the first world war, 112-year-old Henry Allingham, is a resident at the charity's home at Brighton.

"We do not have so many war-blinded these days. So far there have been five or six from Iraq and Afghanistan," said Capt Gordon Lennox.

His successor as chairman is Major General Andrew Keeling, former Representative Colonel Commandant in the Royal Marines, who now lives near Rogate.

"I have no intention of breathing down his neck but I shall endeavour to keep in touch with St Dunstan's," the former chairman said.

"It seems strange to get an award for something I enjoyed."