Michael Bavin

Twelve months has passed since Michael Bavin passed away, and I thought I might add a few things, being a colleague when he worked in Lagos. Michael was born in Lake District and so he was a northcountryman like myself, though he left England for Canada when he was seven years old. He worked as a teacher in Kumasi around 1963/4 when Kwame Nkrumah was in power, and returned there in December 2015, finding his old house and the Wesley College where he taught (and where his father was Principal). He served as an officer in the Royal Canadian Air Force during the Vietnam War era and I believe he started his teaching career in 1978. He studied English Literature and Philosophy at university, and he admired, above all, Albert Camus and Absurdist philosophy. Like, I feel, any perspicacious soul, he realized that the myth of Sisyphus was "real" - he inter-weaved freethinking doubt with the mystical, or otherworldly. I think it was Camus who said we should imagine a universe where God, Salvation and metaphysics exist. Michael was not just witty, erudite and thoughtful; he was also a master of the 'bon mot' and encouraged people to write. Suffice to say, he will be missed by many, and as William Morris said, we are merely the trustees for those who follow us; nothing more, nothing less. Michael knew that, and he has left us with many good memories - and importantly, many sound words of advice. I was unaware of this memorial site for Michael: my condolences to all his family members.