RIP Mick Day

Jopo

Active member
It is with great sadness I have to inform you all of the death today, Sept. 13th 2020, of Mick Day.

Mick was the last chairman of the NCA and the first chairman of the BCA its current President and a longstanding member of the South Wales Caving Club. He was involved in many discoveries in Dan yr Ogof. His wife Judy is not in the best of health and I ask that she and the family are given a little space.
As well as a 'hard caver' Mick was also world renowned entomologist who specialised in parasitic wasps and had the skill of being able to talk to those who had no knowledge of the subject (like me) in great detail without talking down to them. The most intelligent and wise person I have met.
The funeral will be at Margam Crematorium and sadly will be held under the Covid rules in place at the time. His wife Judy and his daughters do not follow ukcaving and I will pass on whatever thoughts and comments you may make here,
RIP Mick. You and Judy welcomed and helped us when we first came to the SWCC. A true gent.

Jopo
 

mch

Member
Sad news indeed, another very decent guy gone from the world of caving. RIP Mick and condolences to his family.
 

Pitlamp

Well-known member
This really is sad news; Mick was a real gentleman who did so much for the caving community over a great many years. We owe him a lot.
 

Jenny P

Active member
This is so sad and our hearts go out to Mick's family and friends.

He did so much for NCA and also for BCA in its early days and steered us through difficult times with patience and good humour.  He dealt with "officialdom" from outside the caving world wisely and ensured that the views of cavers were respected.  We owe a great debt of gratitude for his work on behalf of cavers over so many years.

He was a good friend to so many of us who came to be involved with SWCC, welcoming us and making sure we became part of the caving community there.

He will be very much missed.
 

nickwilliams

Well-known member
I am greatly saddened by this news. Mick was a huge asset to the UK caving community, and steered us unerringly through various difficulties and crises with good humour, wisdom, modesty and great diplomatic skill. I think few cavers outside of NCA/BCA Council and his immediate circle of friends truly understood how valuable he was to us all.

We could do with more people like him.

Nick.
 

Bob Mehew

Well-known member
Mick persuaded me to become Treasurer of BCA in 1999 and then supported me in conjunction with Dave Judson to set up BCA.  His support was invaluable.  I recall great thanks being given when he retired in 2009 for all the effort he had given to NCA and BCA. 

He was a worthy recipient of the Honorary BCA President position.
 

Jopo

Active member
Micks funeral will be at Margam Park Crematorium under the current Covid rules. The service will be online, should you wish to view, date and details to follow. I will pass on to Jude, Ceiny and Caitlin any condolences.

Jopo
 
Mick played a key role in UK Caving for many years. Not only was he chairman of NCA and, after that, chairman of the newly-formed BCA, but he was also a BCRA trustee for many years; and our Biological Recorder. I remember, in my early days on BCRA Council in the mid-1990s, that Mick was one of those people who it was always worth paying attention to. No waffle or bullshit - just calmly-presented reasonable comments.

Mick's daughter Cait has asked that the following notice be circulated.

Remembering Mick Day, BCA President, 1942 - 2020

You may have heard that we lost our brilliant, cantankerous, loyal, funny, frustrating, gentle husband and dad, Mick Day on Sunday 13 September.

Dad had struggled with Vascular problems for quite a few years - he had a pacemaker fitted nearly 20 years ago. However, since Christmas he began to visibly deteriorate and was showing clear signs of vascular dementia. Two weeks ago that decline was markedly accelerated and he passed on Sunday 13 September with his family around him. While it's devastating it was equally tough to watch the dimming of that exceptional mind.

In these oddest of times funerals are restricted in numbers and will be by invitation only but we will be arranging a live stream online for anyone who wishes to join us. We are also having to wait a little while for details of exactly when it will be, but will share details when we know.

I have set up a memories site www.michael-charles-day.muchloved.com where people can leave a message, a story or upload a photograph. In time, I hope to make a memory book for Mum as she negotiates her own dementia journey and for his beloved grandchildren Huw, Tahnee and Aidan. If you would like you can also make an online donation in his memory on the site - either to Cave Rescue or Amnesty International - two organisations he was passionate about.

With kindest regards,
Judy, Cait and Ceiny
 
Mick Days's daughter has sent the following details of the funeral service.
To join, please go to https://www.zoom.us/join and then enter the Meeting ID and passcode below.
Or, if you already have a Zoom account, you can access via the link below.  Im afraid I do not know whether there is a limitation on Zoom numbers. The Zoom meeting is in the name of Mick's son-in-law, David Bones.  Cait wrote...

> Streaming may not start at exactly 1400 as the funeral begins at 1430
> - and so it's recommended that people attempt to join at around 1420.
>
> David Bones is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
>
> Topic: Funeral for Mick Day
> Time: Oct 1, 2020 02:00 PM London
>
> Join Zoom Meeting
> https://us04web.zoom.us/j/73033107053?pwd=Rm55T210M05oSTg4Uklud1N4V3J1dz09
>
> Meeting ID: 730 3310 7053
> Passcode: 249508
 
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