George was born to Ivy and Bill Ripley on 11 Jan 1930 in Stevenage.
Andy, George, Caroline, David Ripley
He had a younger sister Caroline, and two older brothers, David and Andrew. The four of them were close and enjoyed a very warm, active and secure childhood. They moved to Brighton for a few years and then up to Bedford at the start of the war. They all spent a lot of time outdoors and often by the sea. George had a very cheeky sense of humour which was always delivered with a little sparkle in his eye. He loved to laugh.
George never had children, but he had nine nephews and nieces! We loved our Uncle George. He was fun and interesting, and often a little mischievous, which made us all giggle. He was an important part of our family, and often joined us for family holidays and celebrations. And we remember that, despite having to queue with us for many early morning hours, he arranged for us to see the Tutankhamun exhibition in the early 70s. He loved the Goones and Spike Milligan, which was probably the inspiration for the made up words that he taught us, and we thought were naughty, like “one-ya-pen-ya-boob-ya-botch”.
As a young boy himself, George attended Bryanston school where he showed an early flair for art, design and even architecture. He was the Secretary of the School Architecture society and won awards for design, and also a travel scholarship to Scandinavia. He embraced school life where he formed many close friends, some for life.
He went on to train as an architect, and acquired his membership of the Architectural Association in 1954 at the age of 24. He then travelled to Borneo and Malaysia with the Royal Engineers for his National Service. His experience of these countries and their people had a strong influence on George and his approach to life. His paintings also reflected his deep appreciation of his experiences in Asia.
On his return to the UK George lived in Richmond, on the outskirts of London. He had a lovely flat that overlooked Richmond Park, and it was at this time that he became the very proud owner of his mother’s Boudoir Grand piano. George never really learnt to play the piano, but he loved to improvise, and he developed his own improvisation style that reflected his sensitivity and sense of humour.
While in London, George’s approach to life, and his great appreciation of the needs of others spurred him to set up a housing association. His ambition was to organise shared housing and community living for those who needed it. The idea was not only advanced for its time, but very reminiscent of the founding principles of the Findhorn Foundation. It therefore is no surprise that later on in the 1970’s George found his way to the newly forming Findhorn Foundation where he made many more friends for life. He settled in the Park and found his place there.
Frances and George Ripley – photo Kathleen Thormod Carr
It was here that he met Frances. George and Frances were married in December 1975 and later moved to a house up on the moor called Johnstripe. We recall visiting him there several times and we recall that he had a chalet in the garden, for guests, but it blew away one year in a huge blast of wind. In 1979 George became a member of the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland and during these years George carried out many architectural projects. However, his most significant, in every way, was the design and erection of this amazing Universal Hall. As has been noted already, this project took several years to complete and was an act of love and dedication that took up most of his waking hours. If George were here now, he would most definitely say that it was a team effort, and of course it was, but it was driven by George’s vision, and his flair for interesting, unusual, but pleasant, functional, and sustainable architecture.
George was greatly influenced by the visionary architect Frank Lloyd Wright who recognised the importance of the need for harmony between architecture and its environment and inhabitants. Indeed, when they returned to Findhorn and designed and built their home, just around the corner here, George again used some of the features he had incorporated into this lovely hall, in materials, shapes and angles.
George was an incredibly kind man, he loved to help others and sometimes his passion to give was somewhat unrealistic, but he always met his commitments and more. He was known to be a very kind and generous gentleman and his friends and others could rely on him to help whatever the circumstances. Later in his life when his dear Frances became ill, George dedicated himself to her care. His love and devotion were clear to see at every stage of her illness. He would also want us to recognise that he was greatly helped by his close friends from the community and beyond.
Following the loss of Frances, George enjoyed a few active years, but it was not long before he started to find life a little more challenging. Again, his friends from the community and beyond came to help and support him. One very special person was Fabien Barouch. As we are sure you all know, Fabien has been not only an amazing friend to George, but also to us, George’s family. We always knew that whatever George needed, Fabien would ensure he had. The dedication he showed was amazing. Although many of you here will have contributed to George’s wellbeing in his later years, and for that we are very grateful, we know that George would want us to especially acknowledge Fabien for his unrelenting and selfless dedication.
Fabien found the Grove care home, in Elgin, where George spent his last few years. This was really a miracle as it was a wonderful place for George, and wonderful care homes are hard to find. We visited George there several times with Fabien, and most recently with George’s 91-year-old younger sister, Caroline, which was a beautiful encounter to witness. It was clear that as long as George had good care, the love of his friends, and a large box of chocolates, he was very happy to the end.
This tribute, written by Daniela Montaldi, George’s niece, on behalf of his family.
Guest Authors are contributors who are not COIF members (for various reasons).
lovely story of an amazing man!