It has been a little while since I last wrote a ‘Manx character’ piece.

It is my intention to recognise more in the time ahead, and for the next two weeks I am sharing some thoughts on a Manxman who certainly fits the bill.

Not only that, but his second Christian name sums him up in one… Geoffrey Friend Karran (Friend was his mother’s maiden name)… so apt, as he is a friend to so many.

He was born in the old Jane Crookall Maternity Home, 29 Demesne Road, in August 1947.

Many will remember the building with ‘mixed emotions’ - hopefully mostly positive - but I had not realised that the funds could not be found to add a maternity ward to Noble’s Hospital.

In 1927, Mayor A.B. Crookall solved the problem by donating a house and funding its refurbishment as a maternity home for Douglas. But back to that another time.

Little did Geoff know that the baby in the pink outfit down the ward from him, who kept him awake, would play such an important part in his life.

Yes, Elan Baird Gerrard, four days older than him, was screaming her heart out. In fact, at their wedding in 1971, Geoff’s father produced a copy of an August 1947 Isle of Man Examiner with Geoff and Elan’s names next to each other in the births column.

His father was secretary of the Local Government Board, and with his sister, Geoff was brought up on Somerset Road.

He attended Murray’s Road School and then Ballakermeen for two years before moving up to St Ninian’s.

At Balla, it always amazed him that the boys kept to their side of the school and never went near the girls.

I followed the same academic route as Geoff, though I do remember gazing at the girls from a distance!

When his own children went to Ballakermeen, which by then was co-educational, he visited parts of the building that had not been seen even though there had been no physical boundary between the two. #

Indeed, he never even saw that screaming baby who was in the girls’ section at the same time!

Sport has been an important part of his life. Indeed, he was goalie for his form football team, but always the real passion was cricket, where he played for the school throughout his time.

He remembers playing as a fifth-former for the senior Stanley House team and a famous final where they beat Athol. As a former Athol House member, I did consider whether this ‘historic victory’ was worthy of inclusion in this piece.

However, Geoff opened the batting with the great Cedie (Cedric) Gelling of football and cricket fame. He was in the upper sixth then, and as a fifth-former, Geoff got his instructions to stay there whilst Cedie accumulated the runs.

They soon amassed 102 for no wickets, with Cedric 101 and Geoff 1 not out. He can’t remember how he even got that one vital run.

Geoff never really liked school, and he was brought up by parents who always believed the important thing was to get a career—no forcing him to go to university.

His father got him an interview with a large local accountancy firm, as it was his maternal grandmother who always wanted him to be an accountant, since he was pretty good at arithmetic.

He received an offer but told his parents that he did not really want to become an accountant.

The island being the place it is, Geoff’s mum knew Pat Corrin and arranged for him to go around to talk to Jack Corrin.

I am sure Geoff will forgive me if for a moment I share a little about Jack and Pat Corrin, published at the time of his passing, aged 87, in April 2019.

Described rightly by Tynwald President Steve Rodan as ‘a true Manx gentleman who gave, along with his late wife, selfless commitment to the island and its welfare’.

After training as a lawyer, Jack Corrin was appointed the island’s Attorney General in 1974 before becoming Second and then First Deemster in the 1980s.

He was made a CBE in 1995 and granted the Freedom of the Borough of Douglas soon afterwards.

In 2012, he received the Tynwald Honour, the highest award that can be bestowed in the island, for his ‘worthy work and selfless commitment’.

Together with Pat, Jack Corrin supported a number of Manx charities including the Manx Blind Welfare Society.

Appointed its chairman in 1980, he went on to become president in 2012.

The charity headquarters in Onchan, which opened in 2003, was named ‘Corrin Court’ in recognition of the tireless work of the couple.

Other charitable causes supported included the Manx Workshop for the Disabled, of which he was chairman for 28 years.

My own very personal memory of Jack Corrin was when I was attempting to have our National Day, July 5, celebrated and for its proceedings to take place whatever day of the week the day fell - he was very supportive.

We have never had a Manx Governor, but there is no question that Jack came the closest to assuming the role…

Back to Geoff - after two hours chatting with Jack, he was ‘hooked’ and was offered articles with Dickinson Cruickshank.

Jack, later Deemster Corrin, became his great mentor in life.

In those days you could do articles by serving with a firm for five years.

In that five years, Geoff learnt the practical side of the law, which he considered the important side if you wanted to become a good advocate.

He had to attend two six-month courses at the law school in London.

It was towards the end of the first six-month course that he was asked by a friend to make up a ‘double date’ with a girl from the island he rather fancied- a certain Elan Gerrard, who Geoff had not seen since those early days at the ‘Jane’.

He was brought along to accompany her friend from Bristol, as Elan was by then at University of Bedford College, London, studying history.

Then, the following summer, his friend had a friendship group of sixth-formers from the Douglas High School for Boys and Girls, and Geoff was invited to join them—even though by then he was in articles, earning the marvellous amount of £2 per week, which rose to £3 per week in his second year.

That summer, Geoff struck up the courage to ask Elan out, and so their relationship took off just before their 19th birthdays, with the first date the night before the 1966 World Cup Final… a good omen, Geoff thought!

For anyone who missed this historic occasion—held at Wembley Stadium between England and West Germany on 30th July 1966—it resulted in a 4–2 victory after extra time, the only time England has lifted the Jules Rimet Trophy!

Next week, we will discover a little more about Geoff and his family, his distinguished career in the legal profession, and more. His love of sports and where that took him, and his significant impact on island charities.

Did I tell you he is a lifelong supporter of Manchester City? He waited 44 years for them to win the Premier League, and he has been to every Wembley appearance since 1969—bar one!