Barry Mason

[Tim Hall]

Edit: I'd inadvertently posted something that was not mine to post. Sorry if I've caused any further upset at a distressing time. Here's a link to the original article:


http://goodbyejacque.com/2011/04/15/profile-barry-mason-southwark-cyclists/, which is a lovely profile of Barry. The bit I can't change remains a sad reality.

 

[downfader]

RIP! Thats some way to go.

 

[ianrauk]

Absolutely tragic news.

 

[Ravenbait]

Oh gods.

I'm utterly gutted. Barry persuaded me onto my first Dun Run. I've known him for as long as I've been cycling seriously. I'm deeply, deeply shocked and saddened to hear this.

Sam

 

[Baggy]

What very sad news, and what a shock for his family. RIP Barry

 

[ttcycle]

That is very sad news.

 

[Angelfishsolo]

OMG how tragic. My thoughts go out to Cheryl and his sons. RIP Barry.

 

[velovoice]

Such a shock. After being told 2 days ago, I still can't believe it.
http://groups.yahoo....s/message/10298
Southwark Cyclists will announce arrangements for the funeral and for a memorial ride as soon as these have been finalised. Details will go up on our website, Facebook group and via our Yahoo mailing list.

Lovely writing by Tom but.... Barry is survived by one son and one daughter. Not twins.

Dun Run going ahead, as Barry would have wanted. No, it won't be the same without him and this year will feel especially strange and sad. But no doubt a joyous celebration of Barry's life, too. Rest assured, everything's been organised for route sheets, coaches and bike lorries as usual. So please please do come along. Coach & bike tickets available by Paypal as usual. (Sorry but the 'early bird' discount ended 31st May, so it's now £27/person.)

There are likely to be a fair few of us sporting brightly coloured short sleeve shirts in Barry's honour.


Rebecca
(Rides Co-ordinator, Southwark Cyclists)

 

[Twenty Inch]

I read about Barry's death in the Evening Standard today. I am terribly sad and upset about it. I knew Barry through Dunwich Dynamo, link-ups between Southwark and Tower Hamlets Wheelers, and through meeting him around the City and Greenwich on his bike. He was a visionary activist, irascible and short at times, generous and enthusiastic at others. He was a great example as a campaigner and activist, someone who could get things and people moving. My thoughts go out to his partner and his family.

 

[dellzeqq]

My contact with Barry amounted to one e-mail each way. I sent him an e-mail, asking a question. He sent me an e-mail back and it was, put simply, rude. I gather that he didn't do politeness when he didn't see the need.

That doesn't diminish my estimation of the man. It's pretty obvious that he changed my life, and for the better.

He had a brilliantly simple idea, and worked out how to best put it in to practice. Those of you who have done the Dunwich Dynamo shouldn't be tempted to take anything for granted. Six years on I'm still looking to the lessons learnt. Starting at London Fields is clever - close enough to the centre of London to mean something, and out of the way enough to make staying there for an hour or two a pleasure. The route is a masterpiece, with one eighteen mile stretch without any turns at all. The FNRttC routes to Brighton, Blackpool and Bognor are reductions of the Dunwich route. I suspect that Dunwich had a particular association for Barry Mason, but if you were looking for a destination that combined history and romance with breakfast there would be few better.

The Dunwich Dynamo lays down the standard for rides that tell a story. There is a beginning, a middle and an end. Every time you see someone organising a ride from one anonymous place to another similarly anonymous place, ask yourself if Barry Mason would have bothered. He invented a ride that combined adventure and romance. It's an inherently naughty thing - the cycling equivalent of reading a book underneath the bedclothes - but, at the same time, an inclusive thing. The Dunwich Dynamo doesn't have a dress or a bike code. It doesn't even, as far as I know, have a start time. You meet and get to know people that you wouldn't otherwise say hello to. It is, in short, just about everything a bike ride should be. That it happened, and persisted, and spawned other night rides, that it set a new benchmark for social riding is entirely due to Barry Mason's determination.

He'll be missed, but his mark on life will endure.

 

[Ravenbait]

Here are my ride reports from 2002 and 2003, in both of which Barry is mentioned:

http://www.ravenfamily.org/sam/?page_id=2048

http://www.ravenfamily.org/sam/?page_id=2049

I'm heartbroken.

To my knowledge, DD had been running for 12 years before Barry was involved. I heard that a group of messengers rode to the pub one Friday night after work and just kept going. My first year it was still only just over a hundred people taking part.

I wish I could be there this year. I may have to see what I can do.

Sam

 

[velovoice]

My contact with Barry amounted to one e-mail each way. I sent him an e-mail, asking a question. He sent me an e-mail back and it was, put simply, rude. I gather that he didn't do politeness when he didn't see the need.

Yes, Barry's writing style was sparse, to say the least. Someone else writing about him this week called it "economical". And that's still too tactful. Those who met him in the flesh first could forgive his writing style, but I can well imagine it would be hard to overcome that first impression, other way round.

That doesn't diminish my estimation of the man. It's pretty obvious that he changed my life, and for the better.

He had a brilliantly simple idea, and worked out how to best put it in to practice. Those of you who have done the Dunwich Dynamo shouldn't be tempted to take anything for granted. Six years on I'm still looking to the lessons learnt. Starting at London Fields is clever - close enough to the centre of London to mean something, and out of the way enough to make staying there for an hour or two a pleasure. The route is a masterpiece, with one eighteen mile stretch without any turns at all. The FNRttC routes to Brighton, Blackpool and Bognor are reductions of the Dunwich route. I suspect that Dunwich had a particular association for Barry Mason, but if you were looking for a destination that combined history and romance with breakfast there would be few better.

The Dunwich Dynamo lays down the standard for rides that tell a story. There is a beginning, a middle and an end. Every time you see someone organising a ride from one anonymous place to another similarly anonymous place, ask yourself if Barry Mason would have bothered. He invented a ride that combined adventure and romance. It's an inherently naughty thing - the cycling equivalent of reading a book underneath the bedclothes - but, at the same time, an inclusive thing. The Dunwich Dynamo doesn't have a dress or a bike code. It doesn't even, as far as I know, have a start time. You meet and get to know people that you wouldn't otherwise say hello to. It is, in short, just about everything a bike ride should be. That it happened, and persisted, and spawned other night rides, that it set a new benchmark for social riding is entirely due to Barry Mason's determination.

He'll be missed, but his mark on life will endure.

I didn't realise the Dunwich Dynamo influenced the FNRttC tradition so much. Though it was in fact the magic of that ride that sent me off in search of more night rides and led me to yours.

I'd have to ask Patrick Field (the other half of the "organised" elements of the Dunwich Dynamo) to be sure of the details but I think various permutations had been running for a decade or so before Barry got involved. But you're right, Barry's the one who imbued it with a sense of "story" and worked hard to make it inclusive and something that isn't just, as you say, adventurous or romantic, but both. All his rides were like that. For a man who cared far more about action than words, he was one gifted storyteller.

 

[dellzeqq]

Here are my ride reports from 2002 and 2003, in both of which Barry is mentioned:

http://www.ravenfami...m/?page_id=2048

http://www.ravenfami...m/?page_id=2049

I'm heartbroken.

To my knowledge, DD had been running for 12 years before Barry was involved. I heard that a group of messengers rode to the pub one Friday night after work and just kept going. My first year it was still only just over a hundred people taking part.

I wish I could be there this year. I may have to see what I can do.

Sam

You're quite right. I'd forgotten the part played by Patrick Field. I suppose that's because, in the latter years, when you came in contact with the Dynamo you came in contact with Barry. He was a strange mix of hands-off and micro-management, but he was relentlessly single-minded. His was the KISS model. His reasoning was straightforward - the more complicated you made it the less satisfactory it would be.

His reaction to the death in 2006 was remarkable. He said that the real story was however many hundreds of people sitting on the beach having had a great time. I appreciate that Andrew Rawlings' family did not want the ride to change in any way, but Barry Mason's certainty of purpose was extraordinary.

 

[velovoice]

You're quite right. I'd forgotten the part played by Patrick Field. I suppose that's because, in the latter years, when you came in contact with the Dynamo you came in contact with Barry. He was a strange mix of hands-off and micro-management.

That last sentence made me laugh! My experience working on a committee with Barry was the exact opposite: he was very hands on. Yes, he often had difficulty delegating but once he did, you had carte blanche and his total faith in your abilities. No micro-management or interference whatsoever. And his difficulty delegating was never about not trusting others to do it (or do it right) but more because, once he perceived a need, he just had to get dug in. Delegating takes a little time - to ask for volunteers or appoint one, to brief and consult. Barry couldn't sit still long enough for that, literally or figuratively! Man of action. Always champing at the bit to get things DONE. So much energy. Unbelievable.

 

[velovoice]

You're quite right. I'd forgotten the part played by Patrick Field. I suppose that's because, in the latter years, when you came in contact with the Dynamo you came in contact with Barry. He was a strange mix of hands-off and micro-management.

Yes, that's right. The main parts that Patrick plays nowadays are behind the scenes and happen without you 'signing up' for anything. But if you want transport back, you have to take a positive step (to book) and that put you in direct contact with Barry.